Visa-free travel for Pacific Islanders ‘not a priority’

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says visa-free travel for Pacific Islanders is not a priority for the Government now.

He says the Coalition’s focus is on investor and workforce visas.

In response to a petition from the Green Party advocating for extended visa-free travel to visitors from Pacific Island nations.

“We’ve got a number of visa and immigration considerations at the moment,” Luxon says. “Our major focus this year, frankly, has been about clearing up the accredited employment visa. Obviously, a big focus has also been around active investor visas.”

He emphasises that immigration policy must align with economic and infrastructure priorities.

“It’s not a priority for us right now. It’s something we will continue to consider, but for right now, I can tell you what’s most important is that we get investors into the country.

“The work on active investors has been important. What’s much more important is that we make sure that we get the workers that we need for the gaps that we’ve got in our workforce and for our economy.”

When asked if visa-free travel for Pacific Islanders could be implemented under his leadership, Luxon does not dismiss the possibility.

“We continue to look at visa settings for different groups of tourists that we have across the system as well,” Luxon says.

“But for immigration in New Zealand, the way that we operate as a government is we get really clear on our priorities. And our priority has to be to fix the accredited visa programme, which was a real problem.”

Luxon in Niue during his first visit to the Pacific as PM. Photo/PMN News/Ala Vailala

Green Party pushes for change

Teanau Tuiono, the Green Party's Pacific Peoples spokesperson, disagrees with Luxon’s claims, saying that visa-free travel should be a government priority.

“Probably the way that I would interpret that is that it’s not a priority at this stage. But it could be a priority,” he says.

He believes that strengthening ties with the Pacific is essential for the Government.

“There’s a lot of tension playing out in the Pacific. We can’t outspend China, we can’t outshoot the Americans. So what can we do to make sure that we take care of that relationship?

“Immigration settings that recognise and allow our families to visit us here in Aotearoa are incredibly important.”

Tuiono highlights the disparity in New Zealand’s visa policies, saying that while visitors from 60 countries can enter without a visa, none are from Pacific nations. In contrast, New Zealand citizens can travel to several Pacific countries, including Sāmoa and Tonga, without a visa.

In January, Sāmoa and China signed a visa-free travel agreement, making Sāmoa the fourth nation in the region to obtain such an arrangement, along with Fiji, Tonga, and the Solomon Islands.

Green MP, Teanau Tuiono. Photo/PMN News/Ala Vailala

Expert calls for reciprocal access

Steven Ratuva, pro vice-chancellor at Canterbury University, says the initiative to grant visa-free travel for Pacific nations is long overdue and that New Zealand should align its immigration policies with its regional identity.

“The Pacific has been connected with New Zealand for a long time. In fact, New Zealand is part of the Pacific,” Ratuva says.

“New Zealand citizens can just walk in and out of the Pacific without having to get a visa, so I think it’s only fair that you have a reciprocal exchange here.”

Ratuva questions why no Pacific countries are included in New Zealand’s visa-free travel list, saying, “I don’t think New Zealand has come out to justify this.”

He calls for greater transparency in New Zealand’s immigration policies and suggests the need for continued momentum towards change.

“Over the years, there have been discussions around it. Some countries in the region have bilaterally approached New Zealand and Australia in relation to visa-free travel. The momentum should build up, whether it happens in the current government or the next one, that’s still to be seen.”

Watch Professor Steven Ratuva's full interview below.

Ratuva also highlights the Pacific people's significant role in New Zealand’s economy, particularly through seasonal worker programmes.

“There’s a lot of synergy taking place at the economic level and politically between the Pacific Island countries and New Zealand. In the spirit of regionalism, New Zealand should also allow that free access.”

Economic and social benefits of visa-free travel

Responding to Luxon’s claim that the immigration policy must align with economic priorities, Tuiono argues that visa-free travel for Pacific residents would be economically beneficial.

“I think of the massive contribution that we make as workers within this country, the massive contribution that we make as people here in Aotearoa connected across the Pacific,” he says.

“To think regionally is good for the national interest. What’s good for the region is actually good for Aotearoa, and that should overlay all of our policy thinking.”

He also criticises the current system as discriminatory. “It’s racist, basically. You can come in from the other side of the planet and be here for three months. But if you live right next door, that opportunity is not available to you.”

Immigration Minister, Erica Stanford. Photo/Erica Stanford Facebook

Government response

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford acknowledges the importance of New Zealand’s relationship with Pacific nations but does not commit to any changes in visa policy.

“There’s a range of quite good things that we’ve done for the Pacific in terms of different offices we’ve set up in Sāmoa, for example, and a few other things we’ve done. That’s a really important relationship that we have,” Stanford says.

But many Pacific communities still feel that the system is unfair.

Since last October, Sāmoans wanting to visit New Zealand or apply for visa categories have seen fees increase by as much as 50 per cent.

Criticism has also been directed at Immigration New Zealand (INZ) for delays in processing applications and a lack of face-to-face communication at the INZ office in Apia.

Tuiono says these measures do not go far enough. “No, I don’t think it’s enough. I don’t think it goes far enough at all. You have to remove those barriers and recognise the enormous contribution Pacific people make to Aotearoa and the strength of what they mean for the region.”

Overstayer concerns and historical context

Some critics of visa-free travel cite concerns about overstayers and the historical context around immigration policies.

Tuiono dismisses concerns about immigration, citing historical data.

“Let’s look at the historical context. During the dawn raids, most of the overstayers actually came from non-Pacific countries. It doesn’t make sense to punish Pacific people.”

He argues that strict immigration policies can actually contribute to overstaying.

“If you make it difficult and complicated for families to be with each other, that’s what causes breaches in visa conditions. You have to make it easier.

“You’ve got to understand and recognise the amazing contribution that Pasifika people make to the fabric of Aotearoa society.”

Many Sāmoans have criticised INZ over delays in processing online visa applications and a lack of face-to-face communication at the INZ office in Apia. Photo/Samoa Observer

A growing debate

Tuiono says the push for visa-free travel is long overdue.

“This is timely. It’s more than due. It’s late. We’ve been pushing on this for a number of years.

“In 2022, we saw statistics that over half of the visas that were rejected were actually from nine Pacific countries. That’s outrageous.”

He points out that the issue has been consistently raised in select committee reports, including discussions on overstayers and the recent Sāmoan Citizenship Bill, which restored citizenship rights for some Sāmoans.

“If we look at what’s happening in the Pacific with the geopolitical tensions that are playing out, our opportunity is strengthening those relationships with our Pacific neighbours, with our Pacific relatives. That is what we should be doing in order to help stabilise the region.”