@Josie2, if he was brought up in the US, does he not have American citizenship? And sufficiently well educated - presumably in the US - to apply for a university degree course? Sorry, but that doesn't sound to me like an asylum seeker in dire straits.
Truly, the more I hear, the more skeptical I become. Why hasn't he simply said he wants to visit NZ for a month to have a look around and determine whether he'd like to live and work there?
Seems to me he's playing the 'refugee' card. (I've seen this happen often elsewhere, hence my doubts about the authenticity of his request.)
Up to you, though, in the final analysis.