Compton-Cook turned her life around, seeking help for her mental health and excelling in her new career as a chef and moving to New Zealand. But when Immigration refused the character waiver that would allow her to pursue a visa, Compton-Cook was stuck. Unable to legally work, her partner supported her financially, while she volunteered for local charities. After her story ran on
Stuff, Nelson MP Rachel Boyack and National MP Nick Smith wrote to the Associate Minister of Immigration Phil Twyford to plead her case. This week, Compton-Cook received an email saying she had been granted a permanent character waiver.
Now 33, Compton-Cook is upfront about her past. “As a teenager, I wasn’t the best. I went to [juvenile detention] for burglary when I was 16, and continued on the wrong path until my early 20s.” There were also charges of theft, breaking and entering, and assaulting a constable. “I regret it every day,” she said. In her 20s Compton-Cook was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. The diagnosis opened up avenues for help, and she attended anger management sessions and sought help for anxiety and depression. “There were things that happened in my childhood that caused me to react, I don’t want to blame [my childhood], but I realised why I acted the way I did.