Summarised by Centrist
During an urgent Waitangi Tribunal hearing, Australian-born actress Keisha Castle-Hughes declared it “incredibly racist” that her American-born daughter didn’t automatically qualify for New Zealand citizenship.
She argued that because her daughter is Māori, citizenship should be a “right,” not subject to the same rules as everyone else.
Castle-Hughes said her daughter was initially refused because she herself is a “citizen by descent.” Officials demanded proof of iwi ties and marae involvement before a minister intervened.
John Ruddock, a New Zealand citizen by descent, said he believed his three US-born children would be recognised automatically as tangata whenua, only to discover they were excluded from school. He described the process as “demeaning” and said, “We are tangata whenua, not tangata tiriti,” he told the Tribunal.
Under the Citizenship Act 1977, the rules are equal for everyone: children born overseas to a parent who is only a citizen by descent do not automatically qualify. They must apply. Non-Māori New Zealanders in the same position face the same process.
Their lawyers argue the Treaty obliges the Crown to actively protect whakapapa and that iwi should decide belonging.
Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour dismissed Keisha Castle-Hughes’ call for automatic citizenship for Māori born overseas, telling her to “stick to whale riding.” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also rejected the idea, saying “it should be the same rule for everyone.”
Read more over at Stuff and The NZ Herald
Image: Sarah Said-1952
