Govt agency questioned whether Māori born overseas should sit citizenship test

Author: Azaria Howell,
Publish Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2026, 5:00am

Māori who are not New Zealand citizens won’t be exempt from taking the citizenship test being introduced next year.

A 20-question multi-choice test is being rolled out from late 2027 to people applying for New Zealand citizenship by grant.

Newstalk ZB can reveal Ministry of Māori Development Te Puni Kōkiri queried whether a knowledge test for citizenship applications would be necessary.

In March, Te Puni Kōkiri wrote to the Department of Internal Affairs with a number of suggestions on the policy.
“We would query how this test applies to those who whakapapa Māori but are not born in New Zealand, as a test may not be appropriate for such individuals,” the agency told DIA.

Te Puni Kōkiri also said visa applications must already sign a declaration attesting to meet sufficient knowledge requirements, and “introducing a test seems somewhat unnecessary”.

At the time, the agency also called for a wider scope of questions to include cultural knowledge.

“Broadening the scope of the questions to inclusion of the Treaty rights, Māori culture and Māori rights and interests would be useful in articulating the importance of Māori and Māori culture as the indigenous people of this country. Such questions would require fulsome engagement with Māori,” Te Puni Kōkiri said.

Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden told Newstalk ZB whether people sit the test or not was not based on race.

“There will not be any difference in treatment of people with Māori ancestry from any other person applying for citizenship”.

The minister said while there will be a question on the Treaty of Waitangi in the test, detailed content is still being developed and will be confirmed closer to the launch date.

“The questions are intended to satisfy the requirement that applicants have sufficient knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of being a citizen,” van Velden said.

The comments from Te Puni Kōkiri come after actress Keisha Castle-Hughes spoke at a Waitangi Tribunal claim, challenging whether people who whakapapa Māori and were born overseas have a right to live in New Zealand.

In October 2025, the tribunal recommended the Crown consult with Māori on establishing a “tikanga pathway to citizenship that allows for hapū and iwi to assess whakapapa evidence”.

It also recommended to extend citizenship by descent to two generations for Māori.

Azaria Howell is a multimedia reporter working from Parliament’s press gallery. She joined NZME in 2022 and became a Newstalk ZB political reporter in late 2024, with a keen interest in public service agency reform and government spending.