APIA (Pacnews) — New Zealand’s National MP Arthur Anae is threatening to take a case to the United Nations Human Rights Commission over a law that denies Samoans automatic right to New Zealand citizenship.
Anae, a Samoan-born MP, is circulating a petition around New Zealand, Samoa and Australia asking the government to repeal the 1982 Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act. The law overturned a controversial Privy Council finding that all Samoans born between 1924 and 1948 and their heirs were New Zealanders.
Anae said the passing of the legislation in 1982 was the “blackest act in New Zealand history.”
“It’s racially discriminatory because it denied New Zealanders their rights to come to New Zealand.”
The law was passed because the government of the day feared the Privy Council ruling would open the floodgates to Samoans migrating to New Zealand.
It was put through after a protocol was added to the Treaty of Friendship between the two countries, which agreed all Samoans in New Zealand at the date of the signing would become citizens.
Samoans granted permanent residency in the future would also be able to apply for citizenship immediately.
But Anae said the protocol was used by the government to pass the legislation denying Samoans the right to automatic citizenship.
He said if the government did not respond positively and repeal the act, he would raise money for legal action, including sending the case to the U.N. commission.
“If New Zealand doesn’t sort this thing out, it’s going to be very embarrassing for it if this thing goes to the Human Rights Court. It could be embarrassing for New Zealand internationally if the world saw that it passed a law in modern times which is totally racist.”
Anae said the petition would be presented to the government on Sept. 15, the 20th anniversary of the citizenship legislation. He was uncertain how many signatures had been collected so far.
