Family plead with Govt to help get Ukrainian mother to NZ

The family of a 64-year-old Ukrainian woman are pleading with the Government to allow fleeing Ukrainians into New Zealand.

While there is a note on the Immigration New Zealand (INZ) website saying Ukrainians' visa applications will be prioritised, there is no dedicated place to apply.

Alex Wills and his fiancée Marria Torbina are desperately trying to get Torbina's mother into New Zealand.

As of Tuesday morning, Torbina's mother is heading towards the Slovakia/Hungary border via train. The journey is expected to take 30 hours.

She was carrying one bag and had abandoned the apartment she had worked her whole life for. It would probably be looted in a week or two, if not earlier, Wills reckoned.

"We're just hoping and praying she makes it safely and the train doesn't get attacked," he told Breakfast.

"There's just been no help from Immigration or the New Zealand Government."

Wills mentioned the note on the website and said after "multiple times" he had finally got through to INZ after three-and-a-half hours on Monday.

He was directed to apply for a border exemption.

"If that's approved in a few days, then maybe we can apply for a visitor's visa. I mean we'd just be grateful for anything at this point to get her here. Long term there's nothing. We're also worried she'll be here for three months and then she's got nowhere to go," Wills said.

"Unfortunately, Jacinda [Ardern] and Mr [Kris] Faafoi seemed to have missed the kindness train. Please. We're not even asking for refugee [status] … Marria is a resident. Any visa to start. I mean [Marria's mother] should apply for a visa under normal circumstances. It would be wonderful if we could have something long term. We don't know what we'll we do if we can't.

"But for the moment we just need to get her here. Otherwise, in the best-case scenario, she will be standing in the corner of a gym in Slovakia with goodness knows what facilities at 64 years old," Wills said.

"All we're asking for is for you to process our visas. I mean this is not hard. For us it's more important than sanctions right now, it's more important than platitudes. Help us get our families here."

Inga Tokarenko, a Ukrainian in New Zealand, started a petition a week ago calling for New Zealand to take in Ukrainian refugees.

"I'm asking the Government to open up the borders for the Ukrainian refugees. I'm asking the Government to increase the quota because 1500 people is nowhere near enough," she told Breakfast on Monday.

"I feel like we can do so much more than sit here and say we support Ukrainians."

ACT on Tuesday launched a petition calling for the Government to give sanctuary to Ukrainian-Kiwi families.

"It's a simple thing the Government could do quickly to show solidarity to Kiwi-Ukrainians," deputy leader and foreign affairs spokesperson Brooke van Velden said.

"It's time to step up. The world is uniting against Russian aggression to help the Ukrainian people. The question is what are we doing for our Ukrainian-Kiwi neighbours?"

On Tuesday afternoon the Government outlined measure for Ukrainian NZ visa holders already in the country, and that Ukrainians with a valid visa overseas can come here immediately.

It was considering further border exemptions for extended family members of Ukrainians in New Zealand.