New Zealand’s Bill to Restore Citizenship Rights for Samoa-Born Citizens Progresses

New Zealand has announced progress in the bill that aims to reinstate citizenship rights for individuals born in Western Samoa between May 13, 1924, and December 31, 1948, whose citizenship was revoked under the 1982 Act.

According to the authorities, the bill has received unanimous approval as it enters its second reading, VisaGuideWorld reports.

The government further explains in its statement that following the new bill’s entry into force, this group would be able to receive New Zealand citizenship right before, rather than having to go through standard residency and citizenship application pathways. 

Citizenship Application Fee Set at $177.78 in New Zealand’s New Bill

The bill specifies that under this act, people who receive New Zealand citizenship cannot automatically pass citizenship to their future children born or adopted outside New Zealand. It clarifies that a parent’s eligibility for citizenship does not extend to children they already have in this situation.

Additionally, the bill sets a fee of $177.78 for citizenship applications. This fee is included in amendments to the Citizenship Regulations 2002. Some submitters requested no application fee to make it easier for people to apply.

Earlier in 2024, the Privy Council ruled that those born in Western Samoa were classified as “natural-born British subjects” under New Zealand law, granting them entitlement to New Zealand citizenship when it was first established in 1948. However, this right was subsequently scrapped.

As for those still living who were once New Zealand citizens and had their rights unjustly removed by a government decision forty-two years ago, this represents a significant step toward achieving justice.

Record Number of Submissions on New Zealand Citizenship Bill

Moreover, public submissions on the Restoring Citizenship Removed by Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act Bill closed on May 31, 2024. The Governance and Administration Committee received around 24,500 submissions, many of which are available on the Parliament website.

Hearings are scheduled to occur in person and via Zoom in Wellington on June 24, June 26, and July 9, with additional hearings planned in South Auckland on July 1. To accommodate the volume of submissions, the committee will divide into two subcommittees on each date to maximize the number of oral submissions heard.

Notably, in March 2003, a petition with over 90,000 signatures advocating the law’s repeal was presented to Parliament. Still, the Labour Government did not act on it then