Advocates are pushing back on a new government bill allowing for mass groups of asylum seekers to be detained in prisons for longer.
The law change, which also proposes monitoring by electronic bracelet, is intended to ensure people have the time to access comprehensive legal representation.
But critics say this is a strange focus, given the low chance that a boat full of asylum seekers would make it to New Zealand.
Māni Dunlop spoke Dawit Arshak, the general manager of the Asylum Seekers Support Trust, who said the move came as a surprise.
