E muamua lava ona ou fa'atalofa atu i le paia ma le mamalu o Samoa.

This is about fairness. It's time to right the wrongs of the past, strengthen the relationship between Aotearoa New Zealand and Samoa, and move forward together.

This is an opportunity for all political parties to work together, recognising that Aotearoa is a Pacific nation. Our whakapapa and history across the Pacific Ocean Te Moana nui a Kiwa is as extensive and deep as the moana itself.

What is happening?

A Parliamentary Select Committee representing all political parties is inviting public feedback on a proposed law that would restore New Zealand citizenship to a group of people from Samoa whose citizenship was removed by Parliament in 1982.

Now is the time to add your voice to support the bill by writing a submission.

What would the bill do if Parliament agrees to it?

The Restoring Citizenship Removed by Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 would mean that a person whose NZ citizenship was removed by the 1982 Act will be eligible to apply for citizenship as of right, instead of having to go through the standard residency and citizenship application processes.

Why do we need this bill?

A group of New Zealand citizens from Samoa had their New Zealand citizenship removed by Parliament in 1982, and that is unfair. This bill restores their rights.

Supporting the helps to acknowledge the mistakes of the past and for us to move forward together. Our Samoan communities are an important part of society in Aotearoa. It is time to recognise the strength of the relationship between Aotearoa New Zealand and Samoa — the closest of friends and relatives. An important part of any friendship is to heal the wrongs of the past.

How do I make a submission?

There are three ways to make your submission:

1. Post a written submission this address. Posting a submission from anywhere in New Zealand is free, you don't need a stamp.

Secretariat, Governance and Administration Committee 
Select Committee Services,
Freepost 
Parliament Buildings
Wellington 6160
Aotearoa New Zealand

2. Email a written submission to qa@parliament.govt.nz with the subject line "Restoring Citizenship Removed by Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 Bill Submission to the Governance and Administration Select Committee"

3. Submit a written submission online at https://www.parliament.nzien/pb/sc/make-a­submission/document/54SCGOA SCF DE208DBC-B2E1-4145-1873- 08DB93C62D99/restoring-citizenship-removed-by-citizenship-western-samoa

When do I need to make a submission?

The last day for the Committee to receive submissions is Friday 31 May.

What should my submission say?

Focus on the specific issue. The bill does one thing: restore citizenship of the group of people affected by the law change in 1982. Your submission should explain why you support this.

This is about correcting an injustice from the recent past. If you, your family, or your community were affected by the 1982 law, explain this in your submission.

Your submission can include ideas for how to improve the bill, but it doesn't have to if you think the bill is already good.

Your submission will be publicly available, so don't include anything very personal that you don't want other people to know.

You can use the ideas in this document for your submission. Your submission will be more powerful if you put these ideas in your own words. It is ok if many people make submissions that say the same thing.

Can I submit as an individual person, an organisation, or a group?

Anyone can make a submission, as an individual person, a group of people, or an organisation.

If your submission is from a group or organisation, it's important to get agreement from everyone in that group first.

Can I address the Select Committee in person?

Yes. If you would like to speak to the Committee, your written submission needs to say that you would like to "make an oral submission to the Committee". You have to submit a written submission first if you would like to speak to the Committee members. You can do that by post, email, or online.

Parliament is in Wellington but the Committee will allow people who are not in Wellington to speak to them over Zoom video link. This includes people in other countries. If lots of submissions are received from people in other cities, the Committee may travel to those cities to hear from people face to face.

Once you have made a written submission, staff at Parliament will contact people to arrange a time to speak to the Committee.

Thank you for standing up to make your voice heard. If you have further questions contact me, as the bill's sponsor, and my staff team by emailing Teanau.Tuiona@parliament.govt.nz

Teanau Tuiono

Green Party of Aotearoa spokesperson for Pacific Regional Affairs, Education, Workplace Relations & Safety, National Security & Intelligence, and Space.

Background facts

• New Zealand citizenship wasn't created until 1948. Before then, New Zealanders were British subjects.
• At the time citizenship was created, New Zealand was administering present day Samoa (known until 1997 as Western Samoa).
• In 1982, Falemal Lesa, a Samoan citizen living in New Zealand, was prosecuted for overstaying. She argued she wasn't overstaying, as she said she was a New Zealand citizen.
• The Privy Council ruled that, because earlier NZ legislation had treated those born in Western Samoa after 13 May 1924 as "natural-born British subjects" for the purposes of NZ law, that cohort of people received NZ citizenship when NZ established its own citizenship in 1948.
• The Muldoon Government acted swiftly and in 1982 passed the Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982.
• The 1982 Act removed NZ citizenship from those people who, under the earlier NZ legislation, had NZ citizenship because they were born in Western Samoa between 13 May 1924 and 1 January 1949, and those claiming citizenship through those people by descent or marriage.
• The Restoring Citizenship Removed By Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 would mean that a person whose NZ citizenship was removed by the 1982 Act will be eligible for citizenship as of right, instead of having to go through the standard residency and citizenship application processes.

Why this is important for us to have your support. Use some of these dot points to start your response.

• Fairness is at the heart of this Bill. We had a group of New Zealand citizens who had their citizenship recognised and then had their citizenship removed by statute. That is unfair.
• The Restoring Citizenship Removed by Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 would mean that a person whose NZ citizenship was removed by the 1982 Act will be eligible for citizenship as of right, instead of having to go through the standard residency and citizenship application processes.
• Supporting the Bill is the bare minimum we can do to acknowledge the mistakes of the past and for us to move forward together.
• It is time to recognise the strength of our relationship with Samoa — the closest of friends — but an important part of any friendship is to heal the wrongs of the past.
• It is a significant first step to correcting a wrong within the lifetime of those Samoans whose lives have been negatively impacted by an abuse of the rule of law.

What recommendation we would like the Governance and Administration Select Committee to make. This is the recommendation we are asking you to make.

• Pass the Restoring Citizenship Removed by Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 Bill into law.

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