Labour is pleased the Samoan Citizenship Bill has unanimous support as it enters second reading.

The Bill would provide the right to New Zealand citizenship to people who were born in Samoa on or after 13 May 1924 and before 1 January 1949, and whose citizenship was removed by the 1982 Act.

“This is about righting a historic wrong for those born in Samoa who had their citizenship revoked under the 1982 Act, when they were rightly entitled to it,” Pacific Peoples spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni said.

“I want to firstly thank the tens of thousands who made submissions, marched in the streets, and shared their stories with the committee. Your voices helped shape this Bill.

“I also acknowledge our Cook Island colleague Teanau Tuiono for putting this member’s bill in the ballot.

“This shows the importance of having Pacific representation across political parties and the way issues pertaining to our communities can be prioritised. We may be Pacific MPs from different parties, but on issues like this, we work together for the good of our people.

“Labour has supported this Bill from the start and will continue to fully support it.

“We know how much this means to our Samoan aiga and we’re certainly standing with them - it is the right thing to do and honours the spirit of the Government’s formal Dawn Raids apology,” Carmel Sepuloni said.

“During the select committee process, we also heard from the community that they want Samoa-New Zealand visas to be reviewed. We would be supportive of the Government exploring these settings,” Labour Pacific Caucus Chair Jenny Salesa said.

“I know our Pacific Labour MPs have been consistently engaging with their local Samoan communities. We’ve attended numerous public hearings where our communities’ confronting stories were heard and pleas for justice were made.

“Labour has heard the call and encourages our Samoan and wider-Pacific whānau to stay engaged on this issue as it enters the House for second reading,” Jenny Salesa said.

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