By Staff Writer
The deportation of 29-year-old Mose Vaipapa from New Zealand would not be immediate in a process that may take several months of paper work by officials in both countries.
Head of Immigration Mr. Valavala Siaopo is yet to receive any official notification from New Zealand and is not surprised although he is aware of the highly publicised case.
“The normal process in deportation cases like this is for police and health reports to be send to us for our approval before we move on to other stages of the process,” Valavala explained.
“We are responsible for locating and contacting the deportees family in Samoa to make them aware of their responsibilities for the deportees arrival.
“We will meet the person at the airport for direct escort to the waiting family in the village we have already talked to.”
Vaipapa is just out of prison after 15 years for two sexual assaults committed as a 14 year old and for bashing a prison guard.
He was to be deported to Samoa as his birth country that he left when he was only 4 years old but he appealed the order to the NZ Minister of Immigration.
His appeal was rejected despite pleading that he has not lived in Samoa since his family moved to New Zealand and has no family no connections.
The deportation made media headlines at the peak of serious complaints by the NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the same immigration practice by Australia.
More than 2000 New Zealand citizens were forced out of Australia under their immigration 501 policy for non-citizens since it came into effect in 2014.
Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa reportedly discussed the deportations back to the islands with the easing of COVID pandemic restrictions when she met the NZ leader during her recent visit.
Vaipapa is widely reported in the New Zealand media for being first served with a deportation notice in prison when he was 17 and did not understand it.
“I was still just a kid. The only thing that sunk in was that if I ever got parole then I’d be straight on a plane.
“I don’t even remember being in Samoa. I thought I was a New Zealander for half my life.”
Valavala as head of immigration is more critical of the parents of the deportee rather than the order for deportation of Vaipapa from New Zealand.
Having New Zealand citizenship for Vaipapa when he was still young would have prevented all the troubles he was going through and saved everyone the trouble.