Councillor resigns as not a citizen

The Herald reports:

Whangarei District Councillor Jayne Golightly has resigned after learning she was not a New Zealand citizen.

The resignation, less than a year into her tenure, will mean a by-election in the Denby ward she represented, but Golightly said she has since applied for NZ citizenship and, if it’s through in time, she will contest the by-election.

She should be ashamed she is costing ratepayers what could be $100,000 in a by-election.

Golightly said Election Services told her on Friday she was not a citizen.

 “It had been brought to their attention that I was not a NZ citizen. To say I was shocked and devastated is an understatement,” Golightly said.

“After looking into it, it was confirmed that I was not. Today I resigned from my position as councillor.”

She said she emigrated from the United Kingdom with her parents when she was just 18 months old and although she travels on a UK passport, she believed she was a NZ citizen

So she was not born here, she doesn’t have a NZ passport, her parents only became citizens when she was an adult and she has never applied for citizenship herself. Why would you possibly think you are a citizen?

This is another reason we should only allow citizens to vote. Then people would have a reason to become citizens, and you would know early on if you were not a citizen as you couldn’t vote.

“I want to apologise wholeheartedly to our district, to voters, and the people of Denby who choose me to represent them as a WDC councillor;” Golightly said.

Why did the Council not check she was a citizen when she stood? Surely this is a basic check.