A Tongan who came to New Zealand with wrongly wiped convictions has been deported, while two others have gone back after being located by the immigration service.
The service believes 48 Tongan nationals, whose criminal records were wiped by Tongan police so they could get into New Zealand, are still in the country.
Immigration New Zealand's general manager Stephen Dunstan says it is in the process of tracking down nine others who may be in the country unlawfully.
Mr Dunstan says the remaining 39 appear to have residency or temporary visas and officers are working out whether they are liable for deportation.
Most of those on the list do not appear to have committed serious crimes, he says.
