Bay of Plenty migrant families split at the border stuck in limbo
14 May, 2021 08:00 PM
6 minutes to read
Quintin Boshoff hasn t seen his two sons in more than 500 days. Photo / George Novak
Quintin Boshoff hasn t seen his two sons in more than 500 days. Photo / George Novak
Bay of Plenty immigrants are experiencing heartbreak and frustration being separated from their families, with one dad not having seen his two young boys in more than 500 days. Quintin Boshoff left South Africa in December 2019, in the hopes of giving his two children, Peter, 6, and Stefan, 3, a better upbringing.
His wife, Cindy, had already submitted their visa applications, handed in her notice to her job, and sold most of the family s belongings. They were planning to arrive in New Zealand soon after Boshoff.
Government has no plans to facilitate charter flights to return NZers from India - Ardern Saturday, May 15, 2021 RNZ
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the government is not planning to help travel agents trying to organise private charter flights for New Zealanders stranded in India.
She said the government is waiting to see whether commercial flights out of India will come back on stream after being paused.
Travel agencies and the Indian community are reported to be organising flights to repatriate New Zealanders from India which could be ready to go by the end of the month if they get approval from officials here.
Covid 19 coronavirus: Heartbreak, tears and frustration at protest to reunite migrant families
13 May, 2021 03:27 AM
4 minutes to read
Iresha Wijetunga arrived from Sri Lanka just before Covid-19 last year and has not seen her husband and two young children since. Photo / Michael Neilson
Iresha Wijetunga arrived from Sri Lanka just before Covid-19 last year and has not seen her husband and two young children since. Photo / Michael Neilson
There was heartbreak, tears and anger on the steps of Parliament as New Zealand s split family migrant community shared stories of how the border rules affected their lives.
Iresha Wijetunga arrived from Sri Lanka in February last year, with dreams of a better life with her husband and two young children.
Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi was shouted down at a rally of unhappy migrants today as he revealed he could not give them the news they wanted to hear in their bid to loosen border restrictions