Barred Fijian student hailed as 'a standout'

Friends and teachers of a young man caught in the middle of a diplomatic row with Fiji say he was an exemplary student and role model.

Fijian student George Nacewa, who has been studying at Wellington's Massey University campus, is at the centre of an escalating diplomatic stoush between the countries after Immigration officials denied an application to renew his student visa.

The Government has barred Fijian Government officials and members of their families from travelling to New Zealand since the 2006 coup.

This saw Mr Nacewa – the son of Rupeni Nacewa, a secretarial aide to Fijian President Josefa Iliolo – sent home in October after his student visa was not renewed in late 2007.

But Massey Wellington Students Association president Alex Sorensen said she would be concerned if Mr Nacewa, also a member of the association's executive, was unable to finish his health science degree.

"We are completely supportive of George being able to continue his study."

In his three years at the university, Mr Nacewa had been a role model for fellow Pacific Island students.

"He was a bit of a standout," she said.

On Massey Wellington's student association website, Mr Nacewa described his role as supporting Pacific Island students "who feel out of place and the need for time to adapt to the Kiwi way of life".

Others denied visas by the government sanctions include the daughter of Fiji's permanent secretary for health, Lepani Waqatakirewa, and a member of Fiji's under-20 soccer team, whose father was in the army.

Fiji Information Ministry deputy secretary Major Neumi Leweni told the Fiji Times it was unfortunate that New Zealand had extended its travel ban to include "innocent family members" of government officials.

The Immigration Department said it could not comment on specific cases, but New Zealand sanctions, which were put in place by the Government in 2006, included not granting New Zealand visas to:

* Members of the military or secretaries of Fijian Government departments.

* "Banned list" members, which are those associated with assisting the coup, and "close associates".

* Immediate family members, including partners, children and children's partners.

Attempts to contact George Nacewa were unsuccessful last night, but in November he said the sanctions list was wrong.

"It's supposed to only include permanent secretaries and my dad isn't one, he's just a normal secretary, he's a civil servant."

Ms Sorensen said extramural services and text books had been made available so he could complete his exams in Fiji.

He is now understood to be an extramural student at the University of the South Pacific in Suva.