It's unlikely the Christchurch attacker will be deported to serve his sentence in Australia, despite calls to the contrary by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and members of the public.
Today Brenton Tarrant was sentenced to life in prison with no parol for the murder of 51 people on March 15, 2019, and 40 charges of attempted murder.
Both Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her Australian counterpart Scott Morrison have indicated it's unlikely the shooter will be sent back to his home country to serve his sentence there.
THE LEGALITIES OF A PRISONER SWAP
There's currently no legal agreement in place for a prisoner swap between Australia and New Zealand, according to law professor Chris Gallavin.
The other issue with a potential prisoner swap is just that - having to swap their criminals for yours.
Currently there are hundreds of Kiwis in Australian jails; taking them all back could be costlier than keeping the Christchurch shooter in jail for life.
HOW AUSTRALIA'S DEPORTATIONS COMPARE
Australia has come under fire by the New Zealand Government for deporting some of its criminals to New Zealand, especially those who were born here but raised in Australia from a young age.
The Christchurch terrorist's situation is different because those people have already served their sentences before being deported.
In comparison, his sentence of life without parole means he would never be released to be deported in that manner.
THE RAINBOW WARRIOR
There is however a precedent of New Zealand sending an international prisoner to serve time overseas.
In 1985, two agents were deported to France after being jailed for the fatal sinking of the Rainbow Warrior.
The French government paid $13 million to get them back.
But it didn't work out in New Zealand's favour. Instead of serving the sentence handed down by the New Zealand courts, they were walking free within two years with job promotion.
It's likely the Christchurch killer's home will now be Auckland's maximum security lock-up, despite the eye-watering price tag of almost $5000 a day.
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