Jerry Jia (left) is trying to help his parents Peter and Lina gain work visas so they can continue to grow their popular Bay of Islands strawberry growing business. Photo / Jenny Ling
Jerry Jia (left) is trying to help his parents Peter and Lina gain work visas so they can continue to grow their popular Bay of Islands strawberry growing business. Photo / Jenny Ling
Juliet Garcia spent 12 difficult years struggling to stay in New Zealand before she and her husband were finally granted residency this month.
Now the Kaitaia woman from the Philippines has some words of encouragement for the Jia family, who have battled Immigration for four years and now face beingdeported.
"Keep trying, don't give up," she said.
"Keep supporting each other. Reach out to the community so they are aware of the situation."
Peter and Lina and their 10-year-old daughter Cici, from Waimate North, have endured a four-year battle to stay in the country after numerous applications and appeals have been declined by Immigration New Zealand and the Immigration Protection Tribunal.
The family, who help their son Jerry with his thriving strawberry business in the Bay of Islands, are concerned for their wellbeing if they return to their homeland China, where they say they suffered religious and economic persecution.
Far North mayor John Carter and Northland MP Matt King have also lent their support to the Jia family, along with a growing list of Far North locals.
Juliet Garcia, pictured with her husband Eric, encourages the Jia family to "keep trying and don't give up".
More than 1000 signatures and six support letters have been gathered - including letters from Carter and the chairman of Strawberry Growers New Zealand - which were sent to Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway on December 13.
Carter said the family should "absolutely" be granted visas. Though he doesn't know them personally, he has made enquiries about them from people who do, he said.
"They're decent citizens; the sort of honest, hard-working, community minded people that won't get into trouble with the law. They are just genuine good people who are family focused. If we need to make an exception, we should."
Far North mayor John Carter is backing the Jia family's bid to stay in New Zealand. Photo / Debbie Beadle
Strawberry Growers New Zealand chairman Anthony Rakich said he supports the family who are "part of the industry and want to work".
He met Jerry at a strawberry growers meeting in Whangārei earlier this year and was impressed with his work ethic, he said.
They are a "classic example of the type of immigrants we should encourage and want to come to our country," Rakich said.
"They have a business and do everything correctly. I admire that, it's how it starts, my grandfather did the same thing when he came out from Croatia many years ago."
"If they tick all the boxes then they should stay. They're trying to get ahead and they're working hard."
Jerry said his family has not received any further correspondence from Immigration NZ since their last letter stating the family "must make immediate arrangements to leave New Zealand" by November 29.
Jerry, who sponsored his parents and sister to New Zealand in 2016, said the family are "really thankful".
"We feel very much encouraged by people who have come to us and signed the petition and given us their best wishes. They're all fantastic. We grow the strawberries here for the local community and we love our people, that's the most important thing for our life. We are so appreciative of their love."
The petition is at various spots around the Bay of Islands where the family sell strawberries including at Kerikeri Packhouse Market and the Kerikeri and Paihia farmers markets, and outside the Kerikeri Baptist Church on Hobson Ave.
