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Story: Immigration regulation

Tongan overstayers deported

Tongan overstayers deported

In the 1960s and early 1970s some Fijians, Tongans and Western Samoans arrived under a quota system, but many had only temporary visas and simply stayed on. This was ignored by the New Zealand government when the demand for labour was high. But when this diminished, overstayers were chased up (by means which included controversial dawn raids) and deported. This young woman was a member of a Tongan family who had been living illegally in Porirua. They were deported in 1991. Pacific Islanders continued to arrive as permanent migrants under a quota system which gave them some preference over other migrants.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Dominion Post Collection (PA-Group-00685)

Reference: EP/1991/1614/10

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Ann Beaglehole, Immigration regulation – Controlling Pacific Island immigration, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/1388/tongan-overstayers-deported (accessed 11 June 2026).

Story by Ann Beaglehole, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 August 2015.

Comments

Litta
05 April 2011
oh Hi dea Nani...uhm you know why the New Zealand chase out only the Pacific Island people? Because they're racist.lol..seriously
Nani
05 April 2011
Why did New Zealand have to chase out only the Islander's or Pacific people but not other people from Australia,England or called them white people did not chase out by the government of New Zealand beacause since there were many people from Pacific Island that were overstayern there were white people too?