An excellent NZ First policy

NZ First announced:

New Zealand First has today announced that we will be campaigning to change the electoral law to ensure that only citizens have the right to vote.

Currently, any permanent resident who has gone through the normal process, after just two years living in New Zealand, can vote.

In addition, anyone who is here on certain visas that have no expiry date, are technically eligible to vote after just one year living in New Zealand.

I have supported and advocated for this change for 20 years or so. I think it is important that people become citizens of a country, not just reside there. Citizenship is important, and NZ provides very little incentive for residents to become citizens.

Around one in five people in NZ are not citizens. That is a very high proportion. I’d like to see it reduce. Not by having fewer immigrants, but by more of them becoming citizens.

In Australia and the UK only around 10% of residents are not citizens.

It is very rare for a country to allow non-citizens to vote. We are one of the few in the world, and our regime has been described as the most liberal in the world.

While I strongly back changing the eligibility from residents to citizens, I don’t like the idea of someone who has been eligible, losing their eligibility through no fault of their own. So I would grandfather in anyone currently on the electoral roll.

It is good to see NZ First promote this change. It should not be controversial.