He's officially unwelcome in Aotearoa, but it appears Russian oligarch Alexander Abramov has sympathisers in Te Tai Tokerau.
Northland's home to one of the multi-billionaire's many Kiwi business ventures, and locals worry what sanctions against Abramov might mean for them.
He made his billions a world away, but in one tiny settlement north of Whangarei, Abramov's influence runs deep.
There are local businesses, local workers and iwi benefactors of the sanctioned Russian oligarch's glitzy multi-million dollar lodge in Helena Bay.
"Oh they've done heaps in the way of labour equity, letting us use their machinery and all that sort of stuff," said Mokau Marae chairman Hepi Haika.
Haika has found himself between a rock and a hard place.
He's against Russia's invasion of Ukraine but said some Whangaruru locals rely on Abramov's presence to put food on the table.
"The people that work there still consist of a lot of people from out at Whangaruru."
The worries follow the Government's announcement on Tuesday that Abramov is no longer welcome in Aotearoa.
But for now, his assets and ability to pay staff here are safe - a concession made by the Government to protect his employees.
"That tailored approach very much takes into consideration the impact on New Zealanders," said Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta on Tuesday.
But while Mahuta navigates a political tightrope, Greenpace's Amanda Larsson said it's time to up the ante.
"We have a petition that has now been signed by 20,000 New Zealanders calling on the Government to freeze the assets of Alexander and other billionaire oligarchs like him."
But in the middle of the war of words sit those tiny communities in Aotearoa's north.
"War's not a good thing for any part of our world, I think, it just disrupts the whole of society," Haika said.
Meanwhile, the question remains, where is Abramov?
Newshub asked Immigration New Zealand when he was last in the country, but officials refused to confirm his movements.
