When I arrived in New Zealand from India 37 years ago, I was just 21 years old. My husband had been offered a skilled job in New Zealand. We packed two suitcases each, brought with us US$500, and took an enormous leap of faith.
Over the years, New Zealand became much more than the country we lived in. It became our home. We raised our three children here. I went to university to finish my master’s in Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship and eventually set up my own business. We worked, paid taxes, contributed to our communities and embraced the opportunities this extraordinary country gave us.
Somewhere along that journey, I made another important decision to become a New Zealand citizen. For me, citizenship wasn’t simply about getting a different passport. It was a declaration. This is my country. This is where I belong. I accept both the privileges and responsibilities that come with calling myself a New Zealand citizen.
The citizenship issue is deeply personal to me. I will always respect where I came from, but New Zealand is the country I chose. I chose to accept not only the opportunities this country offered me, but the responsibilities that came with belonging to it. I adopted its laws, its democratic institutions and its way of life.
Too many immigrants arriving today are able to live in New Zealand without integrating into New Zealand society. For many, they don’t want to or need to. When English is limited, communities remain culturally separate. New Zealand is at risk of creating parallel societies and over time, changing the character and values of the New Zealand we know.
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I feel strongly about protecting what we have – that’s why I’m standing for Parliament.
I was the immigrant who proposed citizens only voting.
While I believe in immigration, I believe it must be sustainable, responsible and firmly in New Zealand’s national interest. We should welcome people with the skills, experience and ability our country genuinely needs. People who want to work, contribute, integrate and become part of our shared future.
My own life is part of New Zealand’s immigration story. But that was the basis on which my husband and I came to New Zealand.
New Zealand doesn’t need an immigration system that brings people here who become a strain on our already stretched economy.
Our immigration settings must recognise our capacity. Housing, hospitals, schools, roads and infrastructure cannot endlessly chase population growth. And immigration should never become a substitute for training our own people, investing in young New Zealanders or improving productivity.
Immigration eligibility should have one simple test: Does this make New Zealand stronger?
If the answer is yes, we should welcome the skills, and contribution people bring. But the interests of New Zealand and New Zealanders must always come first.
We need to restore the value of New Zealand citizenship. Citizenship should be more than residency. Unlike in other countries, permanent residents can vote in our general elections after meeting the relevant residency requirements. New Zealand First believes that should change.
If you are going to have a say in how our country is run, you should first make the commitment to become a New Zealand citizen.
It’s not anti-immigrant, it’s not about telling permanent residents they are unwelcome or that their contribution doesn’t matter. Many have lived here for decades, raised families, established businesses and contributed enormously to our society.
But there should be a distinction between being welcomed to live in New Zealand and making the commitment to become a citizen of New Zealand.
What about someone who has lived here for 30 years?
This is one of the questions I expect people will ask. I understand that argument. But I would turn the question around. If New Zealand has been your home for 30 years and you want to participate in determining its government, why wouldn’t we encourage you to make the commitment to citizenship?
For some people, citizenship involves complicated questions, particularly where their country of origin does not recognise dual citizenship. Those issues deserve thoughtful consideration. But they don’t change the underlying principle. Residency and citizenship are not the same thing.
Today, when I look at my children and grandchildren, my commitment is even stronger. I want them to inherit a New Zealand that remains confident in its identity -safe, free, democratic, prosperous and distinctly Kiwi.
