One of those taking part in the rally. Photo: RNZ / Symone Tafuna'i
Members of the Samoan community are calling for an overturn of the Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982, saying it is an issue of justice and fairness - even if the number of those affected is not large.
At a rally in support of the Restoring Citizenship Removed by Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act Bill on Saturday, Green Party MP Teanau Tuiono said the "community want to have the issue resolved".
The bill, which would provide entitlement to New Zealand citizenship for a group of people born in the then-Western Samoa and whose citizenship was removed by law in 1982, passed its first hurdle in Parliament last month.
"What we have was a group of citizens who had their citizenship recognised by the highest court in the land, and they had that citizenship taken away from them," Tuiono said.
Aupito William Sio, Anae Arthur Anae and Teanau Tuino. Photo: RNZ / Symone Tafuna'i
The bill, Restoring Citizenship Removed by Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 Bill, is in the name of Tuiono and would create a pathway to citizenship for a group of older Samoans - thought to number about 5000 - who were born between 1924 and 1949.
"As an elder of the Samoan community, I feel compelled to try persuade our communities," said former Labour Party member Aupito William Sio, who also attended the rally.
Tuiono said the impact of the issue became apparent as he was working through the apology for the Dawn Raids.
"Samoans who were my age were telling me about the impact on their parents and their grandparents," he said.
"So, this is important for our kaumātua generation, our elders, but also for our tamariki and our mokopuna."
Photo: RNZ / Symone Tafuna'i
Sio said the Dawn Raids apology required an "element of immigration" and admitted during his time in Parliament "we couldn't achieve that [however], this is an opportunity to right the wrongs and the injustices of the Samoan Act 1982."
"This march is to demonstrate clearly to New Zealand that Samoan people stand behind this," said former National MP Anae Arthur Anae, who has been a key driver for the campaign.
He said he wanted to see the Privy Council decision become a part of the law.
"Enact it and make it happen.
"We are only talking about the people born between 1924 and 1962 when we became independent. The number is not large."
Youth advocate Esmae Salesa, who started the petition for the repeal of the 1982 Act, said the amendment of this bill meant so much to her and elders of the Samoan community.
Youth advocate Esmae Salesa organised a petition. Photo: RNZ / Symone Tafuna'i
"[They] have a right to be here as much as anyone else does and they deserve their citizenship."
The 18-year-old said that her papa had migrated to New Zealand in the late '60s and only gained citizenship when he married his partner, "well after he should have been a citizen through birth".
Salesa said if the Act was overturned, her family who were directly affected - including her grandfather who has died - can "finally rest knowing that justice has been achieved for them".
"We shouldn't allow another day to pass where our elders have been mistreated. They have been mistreated for over 50 years now."
Anae said if the bill was turned down, "we will go to the International Human Rights, because this denial is not accepted."
"Today, the world is looking at human issues in a big way and this falls right into that."