Are overstayers flying under the radar of New Zealand health authorities? According to Pasifika advocates Pacific Leadership Forum (PLF), as many as 10,000 people without valid NZ visas may be avoiding Covid-19 tests in fear of repercussions. This is despite reassurances from the Government that any information gathered through testing would not be used for immigration purposes.

PLF spokesperson, Manase Lua, a former overstayer himself who eventually gained NZ citizenship, explained that many overstayers work frontline jobs in South Auckland, giving fake names and moving regularly to stay ahead of immigration authorities.

“If they don’t want to be found then you won’t find them,” Lua said.

Pasifika GP Network’s Dr Api Talemaitoga said there’s an issue of trust in government, tracing back to the deportation of Pasifika overstayers in the Seventies. “We haven’t been able to foster that trust in non-Covid time, and now we’re asking them to come forward to get tested – that’s probably a bridge too far,” Talemaitoga said.