Islanders offered flight alternatives

Press, 24 February 1987, Page 3

Islanders offered flight alternatives

Wellington reporter Pacific Islanders, caught up in the immigration row over lapsed return tickets, have been offered two ways of flying home by Air New Zealand.

Islanders who came to this country on an Air New Zealand excursion fare have had the validity of their return tickets extended until the end of March.

The airline has also offered a special budget fare home for islanders who arrived in New Zealand on charter flights with two Pacific carriers. These fares, about half price, would be to Western Samoa, Fiji and Tonga and would be offered until May 8, according to the publice relations manager for Air New Zealand, Mr Bob Wallace.

He said that more than 500 Pacific Islanders had not appeared for their return flights on Air New Zealand. At this stage there was no intention of running special flights.

Air New Zealand saw

the two offers as a way of dealing with the problem of Pacific Islanders who had no valid return ticket. The airline was not, however, responsible for this problem, Mr Wallace said.

The airline had discussed the offers with the Government, but the cheap fares were not being subsidised by the Government.

The airline’s plans were revealed by the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, yesterday. Mr Lange also attempted to take the heat out of the immigration row by rejecting speculation that 25,000 Pacific Islanders had arrived in New Zealand between December 1 and February 10.

The true figure was about 11,500, of whom 5000 were from Tonga, 4500 from Samoa and 2000 from Fiji. These figures were derived from a variety of sources, including immigration arrival cards, and information supplied by airlines.

Mr Lange emphasised that most of these arrivals

were not overstayers, although many no longer had a valid return ticket. The influx, which ended with the Government reintroducting visa requirements for Pacific Islanders, was not a way for the Government to stack electoral rolls, as suggested by the Opposition, he said. Pacific Islanders who were in New Zealand illegally would not try to enrol on the electoral rolls for fear of being "nabbed,” Mr Lange said. Defending the decision to reintroduce visas, Mr Lange criticised the organisers of the charter trips who had known that their clients, had expected to be able to stay in New Zealand permanently. Many of the organisers had not even planned a return charter, he said. The Government had a responsibility to ensure that “honourable” people, who went through the correct steps to stay in New Zealand, were not preempted by people who used a tourist system to gain permanent entry, Mr Lange said.