'Incredibly racist': Greens MP on why Western Samoan citizenship legislation needs to be repealed

Legislation to restore New Zealand citizenship for Western Samoans removed in 1982 could be two weeks away from its first Parliament reading.

Green Party MP Teanau Tuiono submitted a member's bill to repeal the Citizenship Act (Western Samoa) 1982, which he calls “incredibly racist".

Speaking on Pacific Mornings, Tuiono says the bill is part of efforts to correct prejudices Pacific people have faced from previous governments and a continuation from the Dawn Raids apology.

“If you go back and read that piece of legislation, for me, it’s incredibly problematic, it’s incredibly racist, and it needs to be removed from the books.”

Western Samoa was governed by New Zealand between 1920 and 1962 under United Nations and League of Nations mandates. But after gaining independence in 1962, the status of citizenship in NZ became unsettled.

Tuiono speaks about the infamous case of Falema’i Lesa, who took her citizenship claim to the Privy Council in 1982.

A significant court battle resulted in the council’s decision to state that all Western Samoans born between 1924 and 1948 were British subjects. And that in 1949 they and their descendants had become NZ citizens.

Around 2000 Samoans took a petition against the Citizenship Act (Western Samoa) 1982 with 90,000 signatures to Parliament in 2003. Photo/Alexander Turnbull Library

Tuiono says the decision was not honoured by the NZ government at the time, who then unilaterally removed citizenship while carrying out deportations and dawn raids.

“It’s incredibly divisive and racist. This bill is an attempt to rectify that and it’s important to recognise that part of history. First of all repealing that act, but then providing a space for those elders that are still with us.”

After conducting his own Parliamentary research, Tuiono says the bill could lay a pathway to legal citizenship for some 5000 Samoan elders.

Despite delays, the Greens MP believes it’s about two weeks from being tabled in Parliament.

“It keeps getting put off, a lot of things keep happening, and who knows how the order will shift around as well. But I’m pretty confident it’s gonna be up in a couple of weeks. (My) role now is to try and get numbers around the House to actually get it over the first hill.”

A siva tau performed outside of Parliament during the March, 2003 protest against the Citizenship Act (Western Samoa) 1982. Photo/teara.govt

For the bill to make it to the Select Committee, Tuiono encourages Samoan communities to reach out to the leaders of National, Act, and NZ First parties and ensure their views are heard.

“Just tell them that you want to have your say. That you want to be able to actually share your views at the Select Committee and in order for you to do that it has to be able to get through the first reading.

“Asking for people that are in those government parties in particular to get their members of parliament to support that, to put pressure within their various caucuses … to at least enable this discussion to happen at the Select Committee.”

Listen to the full interview with Green MP Teanau Tuiono on our streaming platforms here or on Facebook.