Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:606;Page:3912] 
8.  
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister of Immigration 
: With respect to the Japanese academy where a student was found dead last week how did he and his colleagues get into New Zealand and remain here without the approval of that academy by the Ministry of Education and “set up outside any New Zealand legal-type arrangements” according to Hon Trevor Mallard when authority for their entry had to have been given by the New Zealand Immigration Service? 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL (Minister of Immigration) 
: 
 The deceased student originally entered New Zealand visa-free as a visitor. He was subsequently granted a student permit to study at two approved institutions neither of which was the Columbus Academy which is not an educational institution. That is what the Minister of Education’s remarks referred to. The individuals charged over his death all entered New Zealand visa-free except for one who came on a working holiday visa. Seven of the eight applied for and were granted student permits for approved institutions none of which was the Columbus Academy. Several of them had travelled in and out of New Zealand more than once. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: If the Minister of Education has no idea that that “rogue institution” existed and those students were in the end categorised as overseas students where are the controls that ensure people arriving in New Zealand on a student visa or who are given a student visa are actually attending an institution approved by the Ministry of Education and not simply taking advantage of a lack of determination to halt the invasive wave of would-be immigrants to New Zealand; is it not a fact that the people I have described now number thousands in this country? 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL 
: Perhaps I can be helpful to the member. I did not mention that the deceased student originally entered New Zealand visa-free as a visitor in July 1997. He arrived in this country when the member was the Deputy Prime Minister. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I would like the Minister to come to the member’s question and add to the comments that she has made. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That person may have arrived as a visitor as no doubt hundreds of thousands did to see the magnificent administration of the first coalition Government at work but it is simply duplicitous of her to suggest that that is how he came in the long term to be here in 2003. She knows full well that this House wants to know how he got a student study visa for an approved institution and did not go there. Instead of her being devious duplicitous and incompetent perhaps she could answer the question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member will withdraw and apologise for those two terms. The member knows which two terms. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I apologise for the two that do not fit. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member will withdraw and apologise. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL 
: Each of the instances in which people visited visa-free and then applied for a student permit were for approved institutions. The information that I have to hand thus far—and we are checking on each individual who is involved in the matter—is that of the cases that we have checked so far the individuals were attending the approved institution. 
Helen Duncan 
: Can the Minister tell the House how long the Columbus Academy has been operating in New Zealand and whether there has been any previous publicity about it? 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL 
: It appears that the Columbus Academy was established around the time the company was registered on 21 February 1994. There was publicity about its success in working with troubled Japanese teenagers in the  
New Zealand Herald  
in August 1998 and in the  
New Zealand Education Review 
 in December of the same year which is why I am so surprised that the member who asked the original question knows nothing about it. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: With regard to those last comments about knowing nothing about it I ask the Minister firstly whether she is aware that the company was in fact established in 1989 when Labour was in Government— 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL 
: I have the registration. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: —if the Minister goes to Columbus Academy’s website she will see—and secondly the person who lost his life came here in 1997 as a visitor or tourist. How did he like thousands of others remain here for 6 long years—almost four of which were during the time she was the Minister of Immigration—without her or her department knowing about it? 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL 
: The member is making an assumption about the status of the individual throughout that period. I am advised that the individual concerned applied on at least two separate occasions for student permits— 
Dr Wayne Mapp 
: Did he get it? 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL 
: Yes. They were granted to him. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Who gave it to him? 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL 
: I do not have the full details of the name of the officer who granted the permit to the individual concerned. The point I am making is that at the time he died he did not have a permit. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Is the Minister concerned that young Japanese or other students who are troubled are coming to New Zealand; if so does the Minister intend to make changes in the policy; and further to that is the Minister aware of any other institutions that are accepting into New Zealand troubled youngsters from other countries? 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL 
: The individuals concerned did not apply for permits to be in New Zealand on the basis of being troubled teenagers. Nor did they apply for permits to attend Columbus Academy. They applied for permits to attend ordinary high schools. The information that I have thus far is that they were attending those particular institutions. I remind the member that the full details of this were in the  
Education Review 
 in December 1998. I think the member was an Associate Minister of Education at the time. I seek leave to table the two 1998 clippings in relation to that particular establishment. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I seek leave for the Minister as she was obviously quoting from an official document to table the computer records for the person in question which would prove that he came here in terms of his study permit during the time that she was the Minister of Immigration. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member is seeking leave for somebody other than himself to do something. He can seek leave to do something himself. He cannot seek leave on behalf of another person. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I am asking that since she quoted from an official document she now table it. 
Hon LIANNE DALZIEL 
: I did not quote from an official document. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister says that she did not quote from an official document.