New Zealand deportees, dubbed 501s, being put onto a repatriation flight from Sydney airport to New Zealand in February 2021. Screenshot / Australian Border ForceNew Zealand deportees, dubbed 501s, being put onto a repatriation flight from Sydney airport to New Zealand in February 2021. Screenshot / Australian Border ForceBy Gill Bonnett of RNZA 43-year-old man who has been in Australia since before his first birthday has lost an appeal against being deported to New Zealand. The tribunal heard he was not a violent offender and long-standing mental health conditions had been diagnosed and medicated, resulting in dramatic improvements to his mental health and a path to a drug-free lifestyle. He had no links to New Zealand nor support for his mental health and drug problems, he said.

Source: New Zealand Herald August 07, 2021 23:15 UTC