Pacific / Papua New Guinea

PNG court orders Immigration to allow NZer's return

15:01 pm on 10 July 2017

Douglas Tennent Photo: Supplied / Facebook

Papua New Guinea's National Court has ordered Immigration and Citizenship Service Authority to facilitate the return to the country of New Zealander Douglas Tennent.

The religious layworker was deported last month for allegedly breaching the terms of his religious worker visa.

As a qualified lawyer working for the Archbishop of Rabaul, he had been advising landowners at West Pomio who were involved in a contractual wrangle with logging and palm oil multi-national Rimbunan Hijau.

Mr Tennent was bundled on to a plane and flown to New Zealand despite a stay order on his deportation being presented to Immigration personnel.

The court has ordered Immigration to allow for Mr Tennent's return entry to PNG within two weeks of last Friday.