How can you be Māori, but not have New Zealand citizenship?
By not being born in New Zealand of course. The same way you can be Chinese and not have Chinese citizenship if you were not born in China, and your parents were not Chinese nationals. If you are are a third generation Chinese New Zealander, you don’t have automatic Chinese citizenship. And likewise if you are a third generation Maori living in say the UK, you don’t have NZ citizenship.
Bryers Ruddock’s grandfather was 1959 All Black Ron Bryers, his mother was famed singer Rhonda Bryers, known as ‘The Voice of New Zealand’, and his great-great-grandfather Mohi Tāwhai signed the Waitangi Treaty. His father, Scots-born Jock Ruddock was a celebrated wrestler who once tag teamed with Andre the Giant.
All great stuff, but all of it has nothing to do with citizenship eligibility.
But Bryers Ruddock is struggling to secure citizenship for his US-born children.
He was born in Australia when his mother was performing there, and moved back here within a month of his birth, before spending most of his childhood in Hawaii where Rhonda Bryers had a performing residency.
Bryers has a right to citizenship. He should have applied for it before he had children. Now as he did live here for a while, I would advocate that in his case, discretion should apply. But there is a difference between using discretion, and what he is demanding.
He moved back to Wellington in April with his three Hawaiian-born children, Hōhepa, Peatarangi and Īhāia, wanting to re-connect with whanau, but was dismayed to find there was no easy pathway to securing citizenship for them – in part because he too was born offshore.
The children are now technically overstayers and are unable to attend school.
Again, he should have applied for citizenship before moving here.
Stuff first reported on their case last month – since then, Bryers Ruddock has become more confident he’ll be able to navigate the system and eventually regularise their status.
But he has asked for an urgent Waitangi Tribunal hearing to resolve it faster, saying he owes it to all offshore Māori who risk being left without Kiwi citizenship. …
“I’d like to push it to where we can actually change the policy and give back to Māori born all over the world. This is a bigger problem than just me and my children: it’s something that needs to be brought up.”
This is a terrible idea. He is advocating that there be two classes of citizens – those with a Maori ancestor and those without.
“It makes no sense for indigenous people to be disconnected from New Zealand, New Zealand citizenship and being unable to return to the land that is rightfully theirs,” said Green immigration spokesman Ricardo Menendez-March, adding that fellow MP Lawrence Xu-Nan, who holds the party’s Overseas New Zealanders portfolio, was developing policy on it.
You know it is a terrible idea, because the Greens are in favour of it. The Greens believe that all of New Zealand belongs to Maori, and that people like Xu-Nan should be second class citizens.
Imagine if say Scotland adopted a law that said anyone with a Scottish ancestor had the right to citizenship in Scotland. So people in Scotlandwho are migrants would have inferior citizenship rights to anyone who has Scottish ancestry.
It is ludicrous that someone whose family may have lived in say the United States for the last 100 years should have a right to NZ citizenship because say their great great grand father was Maori.
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders
11 comments:
Another reason to reject Maori wards.
Send a message we’re sick and tired of this nonsense.
Quite right. But NZ churches are sending a very different message - " explaining" Maori wards to their congregations. This is covert support.
This example of special treatment based upon race is just one more example of the divisiveness of the Greens.
History tells us that no nation or society can survive while racist activists promote division and entitlement on the basis of race, (i.e. APARTHEID)
I have nephews and nieces who are the offspring from two separate siblings. They all had grandparents (deceased) and one parent who are natural NZ citizens.
They are likely never to have a kiwi passport or dual citizenship because - There is "no value" in being a NZ citizen anymore.
It's a combination of factors but growing separatism in NZ, the shabby treatment of our commonwealth status by the British and our slow descent into a failing socialist state provides zero incentive.
"This is a terrible idea. He is advocating that there be two This is a terrible idea. He is advocating that there be two classes of citizens – those with a Maori ancestor and those without. of citizens – those with a Maori ancestor and those without."
Already happening
This is a minefield. I have dual NZ/Irish citizenship. My children dont qualify because I was granted Irish citzenship after they were born. But I did apply before they were born and was told by NZ, that my Irish grandmother was born in NZ. (She wasnt) Took time and expense to get it corrected. If the parent qualifies for citizenship, so should the children. Ethnicity should be irrelevant.
Demographics is destiny !
Just look at the demographics of NZ and you can tell where destiny will take us.
It ain’t Hawaii and it ain’t England, it’s Asia.
To be ruthless and clear, Asians once wanted to come to nz to learn English and if they could, stay on in a peaceful and fairly prosperous country. Given the deterioration in educational achievement here and sinking economy, the confusing spectacle of ethnic divisiveness and weak political leadership in any of the camps, enzed is way down the list for those capable of seeking opportunities elsewhere.
I hope UK ie Scotland, and Ireland and Channel Islands love this idea because I have the birth certificates showing my various immigrant forbears were born in these places. It would be great to leverage this and be recognised as being one of them. Gives me more options than just NZ - makes holidays easier too. And I could reconnect with my heritage - after all my immigrant forbears are now trashed as colonials in NZ.
My dna test showed 1 percent Irish blood. I wonder if I can claim an Irish passport because of that?
David, how about NZ not having 2 types of votong cotozenship, 1 voters roll for all.
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