60th Anniversary of New Zealand Citizenship
Parliamentary Launch Function, Monday 23 February 2009
Legislative Council Chamber/Grand Hall, Parliament

E nga iwi, e nga mana, tena koutou. 

(Translation: All peoples, all authorities, greetings).

Your Excellency, The Honourable Anand Satyanand, Prime Minister, distinguished guests, candidates for citizenship, ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you Prime Minister, for highlighting the importance of citizenship and the way in which it unites us all as New Zealanders.

As Minister of Internal Affairs I am responsible for citizenship issues and for deciding whether to grant applications for New Zealand citizenship. It is a privilege to be able to grant citizenship to those who wish to become New Zealanders. Likewise it is a great pleasure to host tonight's celebration of the 60th anniversary of New Zealand citizenship.

Citizenship is about a person formally or officially belonging to New Zealand. It is a legal status that characterises the relationship between an individual and the state, with corresponding rights and responsibilities. Indeed, New Zealand citizens have a unique status recognised under international law. 

Only New Zealand citizens are eligible to stand in local and central government elections. Only New Zealand citizens are entitled to live in New Zealand without a permit; to hold a New Zealand passport; and to be guaranteed Crown protection and consular assistance overseas. In addition, some public sector jobs, ownership of some rural land, some scholarships and some national-level sports teams are only open to citizens. 

But of more importance than this list of what citizens are entitled to receive, is what citizens give back to their country. They give their commitment to our nation, and they give us hope for our future as a strong and diverse people, able to draw on our shared experiences and our collective sense of national identity.

I know, from approaches made to me as an MP, and in my work as a Minister, of the tremendous value immigrants place on New Zealand citizenship. But I think it would be fair to say that many people born in New Zealand take citizenship for granted and do not think about what it is and what it means to them.

This is different from what happens elsewhere where the status of being a citizen is given more prominence. In Australia, for example, Australian Citizenship Day is celebrated and it is an opportunity for all Australians to reflect on the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship. 

There may a number of reasons why we don't tend to celebrate citizenship in New Zealand - perhaps it is cultural. New Zealanders, on the whole, believe that every one is equal and should be given a fair go. We generally shy away from singling out groups for special attention.

Or perhaps it is that New Zealand allows permanent residents to vote in national elections, not just citizens. As far as I am aware this is unique in the world.

Whatever the reasons for this ambivalence, our citizenship is none the less very important. 

Citizenship helps bind the nation together. It is a shared bond between New Zealand-born citizens and those who are citizens by descent and by grant. It links us to the Pacific nations of Tokelau, Niue and the Cook Islands, and links those who are New Zealanders by birth to those who are New Zealanders by choice.

And it is for these reasons that we are taking the opportunity this year to try to raise the public's awareness of the status of Kiwi citizenship and what it means. Throughout this anniversary year, I intend to personally attend and speak at a number of the citizenship ceremonies up and down the country hosted by various councils. I'm sure that my Ministerial colleagues will also want to be involved in ceremonies in their home localities.

And, in order for our celebrations to have a tangible and longlasting effect, the real focus of the year has to be on education. For a long time, there have been calls for more civics education in our schools. And citizenship is a vital component of civics. 

And it is against this backdrop that it gives me great pleasure to show you all this evening what is perhaps the centrepiece of the 2009 activities - a new website containing a package of citizenship education resources for teachers and students. It has been developed by the Department of Internal Affairs in conjunction with a local company Educating New Zealand.

I'd now like to take you through a few key pages of the site.

(Main Page) The website provides a range of education tools that enables teachers and students to explore New Zealand citizenship. It is aimed at children aged 8 to 10. This age bracket was chosen as citizenship fits best with the level 2 social sciences learning objectives in the new New Zealand curriculum. 

(Kiwi teachers page) The materials for teachers on the website include a series of lesson plans that form a complete unit for teachers on New Zealand citizenship. The lessons cover topics such as:

• Belonging to a group and belonging to a nation


• How people become New Zealand citizens


• Citizenship ceremonies, and


• The history of New Zealand citizenship.

The materials were developed in consultation with a number of current teachers, some of whom are here tonight, to make sure that they are adaptable to the specific needs of teachers and their students. 
These materials provide teachers with an easy to use and practical kit of tools that clearly align with the curriculum. It means teachers don't have to waste time trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to teaching our students about citizenship.

(Kiwi Kids page) The website also contains a number of stand alone fun activities about Kiwi citizenship that kids can do in their own time, such as an interactive wordfind and an online quiz about citizenship - but don't worry I won't be asking anyone to take it tonight!

As I have said, currently this website is aimed at 8 to 10 year olds at level 2 of the curriculum. Later in the year it is intended that these resources will be extended to cover Level 5 students, that's around year 10 or about the old form 4. 

I would encourage you all over the next few days to take a look at the website - you can access it through the website of the Citizenship Office of the Department of Internal Affairs. I am sure you will agree that it will be of great benefit to students and teachers alike. 

Overall, it is hoped that teaching today's children something about citizenship will also help further promote such qualities as respecting diversity, participating in the community and respecting others. This website will be able to be used by teachers and students well after the end of this anniversary and it will be a valuable legacy of this year's celebrations.

I should also note that some other educational initiatives planned for the anniversary include secondary school essay and poster competitions later in the year about New Zealand citizenship and its significance. </ So the focus of the 2009 celebrations is around helping to educate our youth about citizenship. But tonight we also celebrate New Zealand citizenship in a different way - with our citizenship ceremony. 

Most New Zealand citizens acquired their citizenship at birth. But some of our citizens, those who receive citizenship by way of a grant, are New Zealand citizens by choice. The fact that these people have had to make an active choice - after coming to New Zealand - about whether to apply for a grant of citizenship makes them particularly special members of our family. 

I am sure that they do not make this decision lightly. Indeed for some people, the country of their birth will not allow dual citizenship and they are required to renounce their original citizenship before they can become a New Zealand citizen. This can be a very tough decision. For many grant recipients New Zealand citizenship is the final stage of a long physical and psychological journey, often involving great hardship and much personal sacrifice. 

Before citizenship can be granted, applicants must meet rigorous criteria set down in the Citizenship Act 1977. Among other requirements, they need to have resided here for several years, be of good character and intend to stay. What's more, they must pay a fee to apply for citizenship, and this is something many families choose to save for over a lengthy period. 

I reiterate that choosing to become a New Zealand citizen is not something people do lightly, and to those people who are receiving the grant of citizenship here tonight, I congratulate you for deciding to take this step.

The final step in a long application process is the ceremony at which the applicant takes an oath or affirmation of allegiance. About 25-30,000 people do this every year in citizenship ceremonies throughout the country. Usually these ceremonies are conducted by local mayors. However, this evening it is a great privilege to bear witness to a special 60th Anniversary citizenship ceremony, here in our nation's Parliament.

And so without any further ado I will hand over to Brendan Boyle so we can enjoy this very special part of this evening's formalities.