Simon O'Connor: Are whakapapa and citizenship the same?

I explore why one's ancestry and heritage are not the same as citizenship. I also ask, do we need the Waitangi Tribunal anymore?

The Waitangi Tribunal recently has ruled that the government should change the law for New Zealand citizenship, notably that citizenship by decent rules should be broadened. Importantly and controversially, the Tribunal ruled that this broadening of rules should apply to Māori only.

Peter Williams: Citizenship, Whakapapa and Equality Before the Law

Maybe second generation citizenship is worthwhile - but for everybody

The Waitangi Tribunal has recommended that citizenship by descent be extended to two generations — but only for people of Māori descent. On the surface, it presents as a technical correction to outdated law. In reality, it risks creating two classes of New Zealanders and undermining one of the foundations of modern democracy: equality before the law.

John Robertson: Whakapapa and the Politics of Pretend - Why Myth Has No Place in Modern Law

There comes a point in every nation’s development where it must decide whether its laws are grounded in objective reality — or in ritual chants and inherited bedtime stories.

In New Zealand, that moment is long overdue.