The Justice Minister wants offenders who are deported to New Zealand to be forced to co-operate with local police on their arrival here.
Justice Minister Amy Adams Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson
A member of the public has written to Justice Minister Amy Adams with concerns about a man living in Christchurch who was deported from Australia after spending 14 years in jail for murder.
Neither Ms Adams or the police would comment on the specific case.
A police spokesperson said the police did endeavour to meet people when they are deported following release from prison, but the offender was under no obligation to take part unless they are wanted in connection with other matters here.
The spokesperson said police were informed about an upcoming deportation and where necessary they sought all relevant information about the person, including their conviction history and details of their offending.
The spokesperson said police endeavoured to meet those individuals on their return to New Zealand to establish their intentions, including where they intend to live, and this information was passed to the relevant police district.
"The district can then work with agencies to develop an appropriate response within the current legislation, including managing any risk posed by the individual."
Ms Adams said offenders should be subject to the same sort of oversight and supervision in New Zealand regardless of where they served their time.
She said the Government had been working on a policy framework to allow that, and they were just waiting for an agreement with Australia about the information flow.
"We have been actively seeking this information from Australia for some time, but since the Prime Minister's announcement in February, we have seen some good progress being made."