Some random bits of fluff blowing around in my brain at the moment:
A rich American with little interest in New Zealand was able to buy citizenship.
A foreign drug dealer sentenced to 5 years was able to gain residency.
There have been some big drug busts in the news recently.
The rich American was able to buy citizenship because he was rich and promised to invest a lot of money here, though apparently he didn't. But he got to keep his citizenship anyway. The point being that if you have something big enough to give, you can get what you want.
This would not seem to be the case with the foreign drug dealer, but the Immigration Minister gave him residency for what he claims are good reasons but he can't tell anyone what they are. So did the drug dealer also give him something? Maybe the dealer knows a lot about importing drugs, and a lot about people doing it, and if it is known he is the source of all that good information, he won't last a day. I have no idea. Like I say, it is just some fluff blowing around my brain.