Thousands sign petition to allow autistic 5-year-old to stay in NZ

Source: Radio New Zealand

A petition with 13,000 signatures calling for an autistic 5-year-old to be allowed to stay in New Zealand has been presented to Parliament.

Immigration NZ last year refused to allow Aidhan Nithin to live in New Zealand, after finding he was likely to impose significant costs or demands on health and education services.

His parents are residents and work in the health sector.

His father Nithin Mankeel said he was living in fear his family would be separated and had pleaded with officials not to let that happen.

Mankeel moved to New Zealand from India in January 2024, followed by his wife and son later that year.

He works as an elder care nurse and his wife is a senior healthcare assistant.

A petition was presented to MPs Rachel Boyack and Ricardo Menéndez March on Wednesday.

Boyack and National Party MP Carl Bates had written to former Associate Immigration Minister Chris Penk asking him to intervene in the case – but their requests were refused.

Boyack escalated the case to Immigration Minister Erica Stanford, who could act outside policy to look at the case on its merits, but that was also refused.

Boyack said that was disappointing and she planned to write to new Associate Immigration Minister Cameron Brewer about Nithin’s case.

She had been supporting the family for the past year and they had widespread support in the community.

“Nearly every week I have people ask me what’s happening to Nithin, the nurse and his family,” Boyack said.

“These are two critical healthcare workers that we need in Nelson. We have an ageing population, they both work in the health sector supporting our older communities and it’s just not okay that you can recruit healthcare workers to come and work in New Zealand and then deport the child.”

Nithin had been granted an exemption to start school while his parents awaited a decision, Boyack said.

“What I’ve heard from kindergarten teachers and people who’ve worked with him is that he’s a wonderful young boy. He’s thriving in the education environment. He’s happy here in New Zealand and so sending him away from New Zealand would be harmful to him.”

She had letters from residents and their family members at the aged care provider where Mankeel worked, saying he was the best nurse ever.

“[Mankeel] was the only person that was able to comfort people in their final days. When you get references like that about someone that’s where a minister actually should be looking at the merits of the case and saying this one sits outside policy and I’m going to overturn the decision,” Boyack said

Menéndez March, who had also written to Penk, said Brewer now had the opportunity to do the right thing.

“This is one of those unusual cases where the three largest political parties clearly can see that we have a migrant family who’s in distress and deserves certainty and so we hope that Cameron Brewer does the right thing by them, heeds the calls from his own colleagues and intervenes so that Aidhan can stay in the country in the community that he belongs to and is growing up in.”

Mankeel said his son would turn six next week and was thriving but the ordeal had been heartbreaking with “so many days of tears”.

“Aidhan is not aware of the situation, he’s really small,” Mankeel said.

“We don’t have any other family relatives here. So [me and my wife] are supporting each other and we are holding each other because we need to live together as a small family until our death. That’s all we need.”

Brewer has been contacted for comment.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/20/thousands-sign-petition-to-allow-autistic-5-year-old-to-stay-in-nz/