13 Dec 2018
Aboriginal man fights Australia deportation in court
An Australian detainee, who has never lived in New Zealand and has an Aboriginal mother, is vowing to resist deportation here saying he cannot take his Aboriginal children away from their ancestral lands. The mine worker and his Aboriginal wife Cecilia Yowyeh have five children aged from 10 to 20. Christian Tapaitau served eight months in jail for assault and has been in immigration detention in Brisbane since August. He faces deportation here because he is a citizen by virtue of his Cook Island birth. He spoke to Phil Pennington.