The organisers of a meeting in Auckland that saw a 50-strong group of Tongan overstayers front for advice say it wouldn't have happened without Immigration New Zealand's assurance of no arrests.
Radio New Zealand's Pacific issues correspondent says many of the illegal immigrants arrived at the Friday-night meeting looking anxious.
The Tonga Advisory Council, Tongan Youth Trust and the Immigration Legal Support Trust, which organised the meeting, allayed fears by saying no names would be passed to authorities.
The legal support trust's lawyer, Richard Small, says people do want their status sorted but there is much fear and ignorance of the law.
Thanks to Immigration New Zealand's stance, he says, the turnout was good, and that gave him a chance to outline the basic legal issues people face if they want to stay.
Mr Small says face-to-face meetings gave the volunteer lawyers a chance to assess each situation and see if a case to stay could be made.
Tonga Advisory Council chairperson Melino Maka says he hopes that, with confidentiality in place, more people will front.
