New Zealand’s Green Party is advocating for visa-free travel for Pacific Island nations, highlighting perceived inequities in current immigration policies.
Green Party Pacific Peoples spokesperson Teanau Tuiono said, “Pacific peoples should be able to travel to Aotearoa to visit their family regardless of their income and without having to jump through colonial hoops to spend time with each other.”
Recent data indicates that half of visitor visa applications rejected by Immigration New Zealand are from Pacific applicants. Tuiono expressed concern that these decisions are often based on outdated assumptions, saying, “Immigration NZ is rejecting visa applications on the basis that it thinks Pacific people might want to stay in Aotearoa long-term—often because of an outdated and, frankly, racist assumption they are poor, or unemployed.”
In November 2022, Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced plans to grant visa-waiver status to frequent visitors from Samoa. Tuiono welcomed this move but urged the government to extend this privilege to all Pacific nations, saying, “The Minister’s decision to grant visa-waivers to frequent visitors from Samoa should be immediately followed by granting all Pacific countries a broad visa-free right to come to Aotearoa.”
Currently, New Zealand’s visa-waiver list includes countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, but excludes Pacific nations.
The Green Party continues to press the government to align its immigration policies with its commitment to the Pacific community, emphasizing that visa waivers would strengthen familial and cultural ties within the region.
