Tongan overstayers were being offered false hope by a scam offering citizenship during Waitangi Day weekend, Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman says.
One News reported last night that hundreds of Tongan overstayers have been invited to go to Waitangi on Saturday where they could get citizenship in exchange for $1000 from Ngapuhi iwi elder Kingi Taurua.
It quoted Mr Taurua as saying said he was prepared to adopt them into his tribe to save them being deported.
"We establish our own laws and we take into our tribe whoever we want to. If the Government is going to take these overstayers away, then Maori need to do something about that," he said.
Dr Coleman said that people should not be taken in.
"I cannot state strongly enough that the only path to residence or citizenship is through the New Zealand Government," he said in a statement.
"Adoption into a hapu will not legally confer citizenship or residency upon anyone. The only agency that can offer residency is Immigration New Zealand.
"My advice to people is that if approached by anyone offering New Zealand citizenship or residency via hapu adoption, contact the police."
Labour MP Carmel Sepuloni said the scam took advantage of desperate people and followed a similar scam last year.
She said the Government needed to crack down on offenders.
"In the meantime people need to be aware that these types of scheme are continuing to operate. People should be very dubious of anyone offering them New Zealand citizenship for a price.
"People need to know that no-one other than Immigration New Zealand has the power to grant permanent residency and only Internal Affairs can offer citizenship. If an offer to help you gain New Zealand citizenship sounds too good to be true, then it probably is."
