Tçnâ koe Reuben,

Thank you for your OIA request to the Department of Internal Affairs (included with this email)

The Department will provide its response to your request as soon as practicable and within twenty working days.  The 20th working day is 31 July 2020

Please note that in cases where the Department’s response provides information that is identified to be of general public interest, the response may also be published on the Department of Internal Affairs website.  If the Department publishes its response to your OIA request, all personal information, including your name and contact details, will be removed.

Ngâ mihi

Michelle Reed | Lead Advisor – Official Correspondence 
Te Urungi - Organisational Strategy and Performance
Te Tari Taiwhenua - The Department of Internal Affairs
45 Pipitea St | PO Box 805, Wellington 6140, New Zealand |  www.dia.govt.nz

-----Original Message-----
From: Reuben Tilley <[FOI #13226 email]>
Sent: Friday, 3 July 2020 3:57 AM
To: OIA <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Current Member's of Parliament current/past citizenship Status

Dear Department of Internal Affairs,

This may be more directed at parliamentary service or the electoral commission.

I am trying to find out the current Member's of Parliament citizenship status, namely if they hold dual-citizenship, and if the have renounced another citizenship what evidence of renunciation was provided to DIA.

Becoming an MP requires the acquisition of New Zealand citizenship, however certain nationalities it is illegal to hold dual citizenship, for example the People's Republic of China.

If one is to hold both citizenships concurrently at any point they are potentially breaking a foreign law, as such would this disregard their good character test within the DIA?

In addition to this I would also like this information for the candidates running in the forthcoming election this year if possible.

Kind Regards,
Reuben Tilley

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #13226 email]

Is [DIA request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Department of Internal Affairs? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

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Kia ora Reuben

 

On 3 July 2020 you made a request under the Official Information Act 1982
(OIA) to the Department of Internal Affairs. Some aspects of your request
relate to eligibility of elected officials to stand of office under the
Electoral Act 1993. The Department of Internal Affairs transferred, under
section 14(b)(ii) of the OIA, to the Electoral Commission these aspects of
your request as they are most closely connected with the functions of the
Commission.

 

Please find a copy of a letter from the Electoral Commission responding to
your request attached.

 

Ngâ mihi

 

Electoral Commission | Te Kaitiaki Take Kôwhiri  

PO Box 3220 | Level 10, 34 – 42 Manners Street | Wellington | 6140 | New
Zealand

Phone +64 4 495 0030 | Fax +64 4 495 0031 | [1]vote.nz | [2]elections.nz

[3]https://echo.election.net.nz/sites/defau...

 

References

Visible links
1. http://www.vote.nz/
2. https://elections.nz/

Tçnâ koe Reuben,

Thank you for your OIA request to the Department of Internal Affairs (the Department), which I include in train.

You requested:

I am trying to find out the current Members of Parliament’ citizenship status, namely if they hold dual-citizenship, and if the have renounced another citizenship what evidence of renunciation was provided to DIA. Becoming an MP requires the acquisition of New Zealand citizenship, however certain nationalities it is illegal to hold dual citizenship, for example the People's Republic of China. If one is to hold both citizenships concurrently at any point they are potentially breaking a foreign law, as such would this disregard their good character test within the DIA? In addition to this I would also like this information for the candidates running in the forthcoming election this year if possible.

The Department's Response:

The Department of Internal Affairs maintains stewardship of the private information about New Zealanders collected in the course of carrying out our functions. This includes information created or provided as part of citizenship applications. The Citizenship registers are closed registers, and information is only released from them in accordance with the Privacy Act. The citizenship registers do not track whether New Zealand citizens (MPs or otherwise) also have citizenship of another country.

If an MP or prospective MP had applied for citizenship by grant we may hold information about their citizenship of other countries at the date they applied. The department is however refusing to provide this information in accordance with section 9(2)(a) of the Act – in order to protect the privacy of individuals, and section 9(2)(ba)(i) of the Act – in order to protect information that is subject to an obligation of confidence, where the making available of the information may prejudice the supply of similar information in the future, and where it is in the public interest that such information should continue to be supplied.

It is noted that dual citizenship information that was declared at the time of a citizenship grant would not provide any information about an individual’s current status. Where people are citizens of a country that requires them to renounce their existing citizenship, they would usually gain approval for the grant of New Zealand Citizenship before they renounce their existing citizenship. Therefore recorded information regarding any dual citizenship may in many cases no longer be accurate.

As New Zealand permits dual citizenship, applicants do not have to renounce other citizenship if granted NZ citizenship. DIA therefore does not require applicants to provide evidence of renunciation of prior citizenship for them to be eligible for a grant. The Citizenship Good Character requirement is assessed at the time a person applies for citizenship by grant. It is not an ongoing requirement, and citizenship cannot be revoked after the grant if a person later would not meet the requirement. Breaking a foreign (or NZ ) law after becoming a NZ citizen would not affect an individual’s NZ citizenship status.

Regarding the questions you have asked about eligibility to stand in an election, this information is not held by the Department of Internal Affairs, but is believed to be held by, and more closely related to the functions of the Electoral Commission. We have therefore transferred your request to that agency for response, in accordance with section 14(b)(i) and (ii) of the Official Information Act 1982. I understand that the Electoral Commission has already returned to you with a response to your questions on that matter.

You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision to transfer. Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or Freephone 0800 802 602.

Ngâ mihi,

Michelle Reed | Lead Advisor – Official Correspondence 
Te Urungi - Organisational Strategy and Performance
Te Tari Taiwhenua - The Department of Internal Affairs
45 Pipitea St | PO Box 805, Wellington 6140, New Zealand |  www.dia.govt.nz

-----Original Message-----
From: Reuben Tilley <[FOI #13226 email]>
Sent: Friday, 3 July 2020 3:57 AM
To: OIA <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Current Member's of Parliament current/past citizenship Status

Dear Department of Internal Affairs,

This may be more directed at parliamentary service or the electoral commission.

I am trying to find out the current Member's of Parliament citizenship status, namely if they hold dual-citizenship, and if the have renounced another citizenship what evidence of renunciation was provided to DIA.

Becoming an MP requires the acquisition of New Zealand citizenship, however certain nationalities it is illegal to hold dual citizenship, for example the People's Republic of China.

If one is to hold both citizenships concurrently at any point they are potentially breaking a foreign law, as such would this disregard their good character test within the DIA?

In addition to this I would also like this information for the candidates running in the forthcoming election this year if possible.

Kind Regards,
Reuben Tilley

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #13226 email]

Is [DIA request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Department of Internal Affairs? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

hide quoted sections