Immigration New Zealand has apologised to a woman detained by police then sent to Australia over unpaid childcare for her host family.
Photo: 123rf.com
Manon Pache, a French au pair, was travelling with an Australian family when she arrived in Queenstown in December.
She told immigration officials she might do some babysitting for the family during a week-long holiday in Wanaka.
As a result she was held in police cells overnight and sent back to Australia for not having a work permit.
In a statement today, Immigration New Zealand said the action was not proportionate to the circumstances and apologised for the stress and inconvenience caused to Miss Pache and the family she was travelling with.
It said that even though the action was technically correct, it was now reviewing its procedures.
A ban on Miss Pache travelling to New Zealand without a visa in future has been lifted.
