New Bill paves path to NZ citizenship for Samoans born between 1924 and 1949 in Samoa

In response to a period marked by controversial policies, efforts are now being made to amend the historical injustices attributed to the National Party’s governance under Prime Minister Robert Muldoon, also known as the Muldoon era. During this time, economic challenges in New Zealand were, in part, wrongfully placed on the Pasifika community. This led to policies targeting Pasifika individuals for deportation, particularly those who overstayed their visitor visas.

Remarkably, this approach overlooked a crucial historical context: Samoans had been British subjects since Samoa’s time under New Zealand’s mandate, a status commencing after World War I when Samoa transitioned from German to New Zealand control on 29 August 1914. This period of administration, lasting until Samoa’s independence in 1962, was underpinned by a League of Nations mandate, later transitioning to a United Nations Trusteeship. Throughout this era, Samoans were recognised as British subjects, a designation that afforded them certain legal rights and social standings not widely acknowledged.

The complexity of this legal status became particularly pertinent during the enforcement of ‘dawn raids’ aimed at addressing overstaying by Pasifika individuals. This policy action inadvertently entangled Samoans, who, under the legacy of New Zealand’s supervision, held the status of British subjects. The situation escalated when Falema’i Lesa challenged the New Zealand government in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, contesting her deportation on these grounds.

In a groundbreaking decision by the Privy Council in July 1982, it was affirmed that all Samoans born in Western Samoa between 1924 and 1948, and their descendants, were indeed British subjects and, by extension, eligible for New Zealand citizenship from 1 January 1949, pursuant to the ‘British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948.’

Prompted by this decision, the New Zealand government swiftly passed the ‘New Zealand Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982,’ a move that retrospectively nullified the citizenship status of many Samoans. This legislation, criticised for its hasty enactment and discriminatory implications, is currently under scrutiny.

MP Teanau Tuiono has introduced a bill aiming to reassess and potentially repeal this law, reflecting a broader initiative to rectify past injustices and support the affected individuals.

The Letter

Pacific leaders have rallied behind MP Teanau Tuiono’s legislative efforts, with a notable contribution from Teleiai Edwin who outlined several pivotal arguments in their collective letter to government officials:

1. Establishment of New Zealand Citizenship: Before 1948, all New Zealanders were classified as British subjects. The creation of New Zealand citizenship in that year marked a significant shift in national identity and legal status.
2. New Zealand’s Administration of Samoa: At the time New Zealand established its own citizenship, it was administering Samoa (known as Western Samoa until 1997), which played a critical role in the subsequent legal interpretations of citizenship.
3. The Case of Falema‘i Lesa: In 1982, Falema‘i Lesa, a Samoan citizen residing in New Zealand, was prosecuted for overstaying. She contested the charges, asserting her status as a New Zealand citizen based on historical legislation.
4. Privy Council Ruling: The Privy Council ruled that individuals born in Western Samoa after 13 May 1924 were considered “natural-born British subjects” for the purposes of New Zealand law, thereby receiving New Zealand citizenship automatically with the establishment of the New Zealand citizenship system in 1948.
5. Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982: In response to the Privy Council’s decision, the Muldoon Government quickly enacted the Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982, which revoked New Zealand citizenship from those affected by the ruling.
6. Impact of the 1982 Act: The 1982 Act specifically removed New Zealand citizenship from individuals born in Western Samoa between 13 May 1924 and 1 January 1949, and from those claiming citizenship through those individuals by descent or marriage.
7. The Proposed Bill: The bill introduces a provision for those who lost their citizenship in 1982 to apply for and receive “citizenship by grant” under section 8 of the Citizenship Act 1977. While it doesn’t directly grant citizenship, it ensures automatic eligibility for affected individuals to apply for and reclaim their New Zealand citizenship, embodying the bill’s core principle of fairness by addressing the historical revocation of citizenship from a group recognised by the Privy Council.

The Bill & Parliament

In a surprising turn of events within Parliament today, the Act Party and New Zealand First have extended their support to the bill. The bill is called the Restoring Citizenship Removed by Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 Bill.

“Fairness is at the heart of the bill,” emphasised Tuiono in his address to Parliament, highlighting the injustice of revoking citizenship through legislative measures. The sentiment resonated strongly, evidenced by the applause from both the Opposition parties and the public gallery, which was filled with supporters, including notable figures such as former MPs Anae Arthur Anae and Aupito William Sio, as well as the Speaker of the Samoan Parliament and several visiting MPs.

The bill’s passage through its first reading with a vote of 74 to 49—National being the only party in opposition—was a landmark moment, showcasing the broad-based support for addressing what has been described as a “weeping sore” since the Muldoon Government’s 1982 legislation that nullified a Privy Council ruling affirming New Zealand citizenship for this group.

The government administration select committee will now consider the bill, a move made possible by the unexpected backing from either the Act Party or New Zealand First, highlighting a pivotal moment of unity across party lines in the interest of fairness and equality. The Act Party’s Parmjeet Parmar expressed a desire to evaluate the bill based on these principles, while New Zealand First, under Winston Peters, reinforced their advocacy for the Pacific community.

Labour deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni lauded the bill as an opportunity to honour the spirit of a previous apology made for the dawn raids, aligning with Labour’s commitment to rectify past injustices.

The Green Party’s supporting material for the bill succinctly outlines the historical and legal backdrop of the issue, reaffirming the basis for the proposed legislation. It points to an important oversight in 1982, when a cohort of Samoans lost their New Zealand citizenship due to a change in law—citizenship they had acquired inherently upon New Zealand establishing its own citizenship system in 1948. The proposed bill aims not just to restore citizenship but to grant it “as of right,” eliminating the need for standard residency and citizenship application processes for those affected.

Fa’aliliuga i le gagana Samoa

I se taumafaiga ina ia fa’asa’oina se sesē mai anamu’a na faia e le National Party i lalo o le va’ava’aiaga a le Palemia o Niu Sila, Muldoon, ina ia vavae eseina ai ma tu’uaina le fa’aletonu o le tamaoaiga a Niu Sila i tagata eena, ua iai se pili fou ua fa’aofiina nei i le Palemene o Niu Sila.

E le’i iloa e Muldoon, o Samoa o tagata Peletania mai i le vaitaimi o i lalo Samoa ia Niu Sila pe tusa ma le 47 tausaga amata mai i le 1914, ina ua faiaina Siamani i le taua muamua a le lalolagi.

Na amata ta’ita’iga a Niu Sila i le aso 29 Aukuso 1914, ina ua taunu’u ana fitafita tau i Samoa. A’o iai lea o Samoa i lalo o Siamani o se kolone. E le’i fa’alavelaveina le iai o Niu Sila i Samoa. Na ta’ita’ia e Niu Sila Samoa i lalo o le ‘League of Nations mandate’ i lenā taimi ae le’i suia lea i le ‘United Nations Trusteeship’ ae le’i o’o lea i le tausaga na tuto’atasi ai Samoa mai i le fa’akolone i le tausaga e 1962.

A’o iai Samoa i lalo o va’ava’aiga a Niu Sila, sa faia lea i le fa’atonuga a le mālo Peretania (British empire). Ona o lea ‘mandate’ o tagata Samoa na ta’ua o ‘British Subjects.’ O lenei tulaga fa’aletulafono e fa’atatau i tagata Samoa uma, i lalo o ta’ita’iga a Niu Sila, ua iai nei latou aia fa’aletulafono oni ‘British subjects.’ O nei tulaga fa’asosaiete (social statuses), e aia tutusa ai tagata i Samoa ma tagata o Niu Sila.

I lalo o aiaiga o le avea ai ma se ‘British subject’ e fai a si felefele ma lē manino i tualaga fa’aletulafono i aia e agava’a iai Samoa a’o i lalo o Niu Sila.

Ina ua ao fa’atasi e le ‘dawn raid’ tagata eena e lavea ai ma Samoa ona ua ova aso e nofo ai i Niu Sila, ma lavelavea ai loa ile toe fa’ama’ateina o le ‘British subject,’ ina ua ave e Falema’i Lesa le mālo a Niu Sila (New Zealand government to the Judicial Committee ) i le fa’amasinoga ina ua taumafai e toe tipoti Lesa i Samoa.

O le fa’aiuga na maua mai i le ‘Privy Council’ i Lonotona (London), o le fa’amasinoga maualuga lea a Niu Sila i lea vaitaimi, na talia ai le toe fa’aofi a Lesa ina ia aveese le ‘overstay conviction’ po’o le fa’aiuga ua faia e tipoti o ia i Samoa, ua fa’apea mai le ‘Privy Council’ i lana fa’aiuga ia Iulai 1982, o Samoa uma mai i ‘Western Samoa’ na fananau i le 1924 se’ia o’o i le 1948 ma ana tama fanau, o ‘British subjects’ ma ua agava’a ai o se sitiseni o Niu Sila mai i le aso 1 Ianuari 1949, i lalo o le ‘British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948.’

Ona o lea fa’aiuga mata’utia, na gaioi vave ai loa le mālo o Niu Sila i lea vaitaimi ma fauina loa se tulafono fou ua ta’ua o le ‘New Zealand Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982,’ e fao ese ai, pe soloia uma ai sitiseni o tagata o lo’o nonofo pea i Samoa i le 1982. A’o i latou uma o lo’o iai i Niu Sila i le 1982, ua otomeki le latou sitiseni Niu Sila.

O lenei la tulafono fou solitulafono ma fai fa’apito i aga matagā, o lo’o taumafai ai le pili fou na fauina e MP Teanau Tuiono, ina ia mafai ai ona toe iloilo e le mālo i le taimi nei, lenei tulafono fai fa’apito ma aveesea ai loa.

Na tusia se tusi fau fa’atasi a ta’ita’i o le Pasifika e lagolago ai le pili, MP Teanau Tuiono, ina ia aveese lea lenei tulafono o le ‘New Zealand Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982.’

E pei ona taua e Teleiai Edwin, na latou tusia se tusi i ta’ita’i o le malo o Niu Sila, ma auiliili ai fa’avae nei e fa’apea:

1. O tagata Niu Sila sa ‘British subjects’ ae lei faia lea o se sisiteni mo Niu Sila i le 1948.

2. A’o fauina le sitiseni a Niu Sila, o lo’o ta’ita’i ma va’aia e Niu Sila Samoa (Western Samoa 1997).
3. I le 1982, sa fa’asalaina ai Falema’i Lesa o se sitiseni Samoa o nofo i Niu Sila, i le nofo-umi fa’asolitulafono. Na ia te’ete’e e fa’apea o ia o se tagata moni sitiseni Niu Sila.
4. O le fa’aiuga a le ‘Privy Council’ le fa’amasino maualuga a Niu Sila, ua fa’apea lana aiaiga, ona na o ni tulafono fa’avae a Niu Sila i lena taimi e fa’apea o tagata Samoa uma mai i le aso 13 Me 1924, o “natural-born British subjects” po’o tagata moni o Peletania, ma e tusa ai ma tulafono a Niu Sila i lea taimi, o tagata uma nei o sitiseni a Niu Sila, a’o fauina lea o se sisitseni a Niu Sila lava ia i le 1948.
5. Na fa’atopetope le gaioi a le malo a Muldoon ma pasia ai se tulafono fou i le 1982 e ta’u o le ‘Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982.’
6. O le tulafono fou lea na faia fa’atopetope i le 1982, e aveesea ai le sitiseni Niu Sila mai i’a i latou uma na soifua mai i le va o le 13 Me 1924 i le 1 Ianuari 1949, ma i latou uma e tau uma o ni suli po’o se fa’aipoipoga.
7. I lalo o le pili fou, o i latou uma na leiloa le sitiseni i l1 1982 o le’a mafai ona talosaga ina ia maua le “citizenship by grant” i lalo o le vaega 8 o le tulafono tau sitiseni 1977. E le mafai e le pili ona ave sa’o se sitiseni, ae ua mafai ai ona maua se auala otometi e mafai ai ona talosaga ma mauaina loa se sitiseni Niu Sila.
8. I le ogatotonu o lenei pili, e tausia le va tutusa. E iai ni Samoa na fa’atauaina e le ‘Privy Council’ latou sitiseni ae ua toe aveesea ona o ni tulafono toe faufau.

I le taimi nei i le palemene, ua fa’ateia ai i le lagolagoina o le pili e le pāti o le Act ma le New Zealand First i le pāsiaina lea o lona faitauga muamua. O lona uiga, o lea mafai nei ona sailiilia auiliili nei i se komiti le pili ma auili’ili ai ni finauga mai i le atunu’u ma toe teuteu ai loa ma fa’ama’ea.

NA ta’ua e le sui mai o le ACT, MP Parmjeet Parmar lona lagolago i le pili ua fa’ata’atia i luma o le palemene o Niu Sila.

NA fa’alia fo’i e le sui o le NZ First Casey Costello lona lagolago tele ma le pati ae maise le Afioga ia Vaovasamanaia Winston Peter i lona lagolago mo le pasifika ma ona tagata.

Na ta’ua e Costello o le pili e le otometi le mauaina o sitiseni, ae o le a mafai ai ona talosaga sa’o loa mo se sitiseni Niu Sila.