A Tongan candidate whose New Zealand political party has proposed an unusual immigration policy offering Pacific overstayers a pathway to legal status has addressed members of the Moʻui Foʻou Church in South Auckland as she campaigns for the Māngere electorate ahead of next month’s general election.
Vicky Hau is among several candidates of Tongan heritage contesting New Zealand’s general election, including Labour MPs Carmel Sepuloni and Jenny Salesa, former Labour MP Anahila Kanongataʻa-Suisuiki, and Green Party candidate Te Whatanui Leka Taumālolo Skipwith, who is standing in the Ōtāhuhu electorate against Salesa.
Her church campaign today, Sunday 11, comes as New Zealanders will head to the polls on 7 November, less than four weeks away, with recent surveys indicating a closely contested election. The latest 1News-Verian poll, released on 6 October, put National on 29 percent, Labour on 28 percent, the Greens on 16 percent, NZ First on 10 percent and ACT on 9 percent. A separate Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll placed NZ First at 12 percent.
The polls present contrasting possibilities for the next government. The 1News-Verian survey suggests neither the National–NZ First–ACT coalition nor a Labour-led grouping with the Greens and Te Pāti Māori would secure a parliamentary majority without additional support, potentially leaving the Opportunity Party in a decisive position.
However, the latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll projects 65 seats for the current National-led coalition, enough to retain power in the 120-seat Parliament.
NZ First has attracted particular interest among Tongan voters in this year’s election after announcing a proposed two-year clemency period that would allow Pacific Island overstayers to apply for legal visas to remain in New Zealand if the policy is implemented.
Under the policy, Pacific overstayers would be given 24 months to apply for a valid visa allowing them to remain legally in New Zealand.
The party said the special provision recognised New Zealand’s longstanding relationship with Pacific nations and would apply exclusively to overstayers of Pacific origin.
However, the proposal comes with strict conditions. NZ First has warned that overstayers who remain unlawfully in the country after the clemency period expires would face deportation and permanent ineligibility for future New Zealand visas.
The proposal is particularly significant for Tongans. According to Immigration New Zealand’s latest estimates, 2,541 Tongan nationals were living in the country after their visas had expired as of July 2026, making them the second-largest group of overstayers after Chinese nationals, who numbered 2,694.
Against this political backdrop, Hau’s appearance at Moʻui Foʻou Church today highlights her engagement with the Tongan community as NZ First campaigns for support ahead of the election.
Hau is ranked 21st on NZ First’s party list, making her entry into Parliament through the party vote unlikely unless the party secures substantially more seats than current polls suggest.
Nonetheless, under New Zealand’s Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system, she could still enter Parliament by winning the Māngere electorate, regardless of her list ranking or NZ First’s share of the party vote.
In a Facebook post, Hau thanked Reverend Kava Moa and church leaders for inviting her to speak and offering their blessings and prayers for her campaign.
“Honoured to be invited by the Mo’uifo’ou Church to speak today,” she wrote.
