Latest figures show a jump in deportation numbers Photo: SFC
New figures released by Immigration New Zealand show the number of people being deported from New Zealand has gone up by almost a quarter in the last financial year to the end of June.
1,259 people in the country illegally were deported or chose to leave after being served a deportation order - an increase of 352 from the previous year.
Immigration has also estimated that about 21 thousand people are here who have overstayed their visa. It's the first time Immigration has released such figures in 8 years.
At the same time this morning, the Immigration Minister, Erica Stanford, has announced the government is proposing to strengthen deportation provisions.
She says the move is necessary to ensure the system can act decisively when serious breaches occur.
Steve Watson, the General Manager of Immigration Compliance and Investigations talks to Kathryn about the increase.
