The 501 deportees from Australia have been blamed for a spike in crime across the country and data obtained by Newshub reveals where those deportees are living.
Counties Manukau has the greatest number of them with more spread across Auckland's city and the Waitemata area.
One hundred and eighty-six live in Waikato, 242 in the Bay of Plenty and 276 live in Canterbury.
Police have lost contact with 175 of them
Some of the 501s are definitely Kiwis who deserve to be sent back but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is concerned about the 501s that have little to no connection with New Zealand.
Freedom is not a word familiar to the men who are locked up inside a Queensland Detention Centre and destined for a place just as foreign.
Dion Taiapa doesn't have any memory of ever being in New Zealand in 1974 either as he was just a newborn when he went to Australia.
"I don't have an accent, I have an Australian accent," Taiapa said.
His Australian mum had him during a short visit.
"She was pregnant over there on holidays, she had me over there. Three months later we came to Australia," Taiapa said.
Twelve weeks on Kiwi soil is all it took for Australia's government to believe he now belongs in New Zealand.
"New Zealand to me is a foreign country, never visited New Zealand, never left Australia," Taiapa said.
Out of the 2826 501s,1008 lived in New Zealand as children or teenagers, 828 left before turning 20, around 100 left before they even turned 10 and 72 left before starting school.
"There's got to be some sort of line drawn in the sand where people like me are Australians to stay here in the country," Taiapa said.
"A bit of common sense wouldn't go too far. That's all we're asking for is a bit of common sense."
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised to use a "common sense" approach in July.
"No one has seen anything. Prime Minister Albanese said he's going to do this and that and we've seen nothing. Nothing!" Taiapa said.
All Taiapa can do is wait.
"I'm hoping something changes soon so it gives me some hope. At the moment there's no hope at all," he said.
No hope, because there's no reason to suggest he should have any.
