One in five Immigration NZ enforcement actions in 2024/25 lacked proper authority

Immigration New Zealand repaid $44,000 in infringement fines to 21 companies after discovering staff without the correct delegations had issued the notices. The agency also wrongly imposed 12-month stand-down periods when law allows only six months. The errors affected roughly one in five of 118 enforcement actions taken that year, raising questions about procedural oversight during a period of operational pressure.