大象传媒

Ana Baker sat at her desk in the Tongan capital, Nuku鈥檃lofa. An email arrived from the New Zealand government. 鈥淐ongratulations!鈥� it said on the outside. She knew what it was, but still paused for a minute before opening it. She couldn鈥檛 believe her luck.

Ana is a winner in the annual Pacific Access Category ballot. It is a visa lottery. Each year, Tonga gets up to 250 places, Fiji the same, and there are up to 75 each for Tuvalu and Kiribati. In a separate draw, 1100 visas are available in the Samoan Quota ballot.

The relationship between New Zealand and the Pacific nations is close. Auckland, it鈥檚 said, is the largest Polynesian city in the world. On its streets, the influence of Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and the other islands is obvious. And there are plenty more young people who want to come here 鈥� the ballots are hugely over-subscribed.

But it鈥檚 not as simple as a ticket to a new life. If you win, you have around 9 months to find a job in New Zealand. And that鈥檚 not easy. The system is open to bogus job offers and corruption. And what of those who make it? Many find it hard to make the transition. And the ballot itself: is the system fair?