A Kiribati community leader in New Zealand was at Parliament yesterday begging the government not to deport a family who argue they are climate change refugees.
(Reverend Iosefa Suamalie, pictured above with Ioane Teitiota s wife, Angua Erika, have pleaded to keep Mr Teitota in New Zealand.)
About 70 people poured into a public meeting in West Auckland on Monday night in support of Ioane Teitiota his wife Angua Erika, and their three children.
Mr Teitiota has been fighting against deportation back to Kiribati since 2011, arguing he should be considered a refugee based on climate change, and rising sea levels.
He s been told he s booked on a flight out of New Zealand on Wednesday.
The crowd was sombre yet hopeful about the family s future. One of the people there, John Corcoran, has been a key witness in legal proceedings. Mr Corcoran says the family s outlook is grim, with many Kiribati families already struggling to survive on the island.
JOHN CORCORAN: At the moment there s not