New Zealand Legislation: Acts

17 Deprivation of New Zealand citizenship in case of fraud, etc

• (1) This section applies to a New Zealand citizen who has acquired that citizenship—

  • (a) By registration under the British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948; or

  • (b) By naturalisation under that Act; or

  • (c) By grant under this Act or the Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982.

  (2) Subject to section 19 of this Act, the Minister may, by order, deprive a New Zealand citizen to whom this section applies of his New Zealand citizenship if he is satisfied that the registration, naturalisation, grant, or any grant requirement was procured by fraud, false representation, or wilful concealment of relevant information, or by mistake.

  (3) The Minister may not deprive a person of New Zealand citizenship under subsection (2) if—

  • (a) the citizenship was acquired by mistake; and

  • (b) to deprive the person of that citizenship would leave the person stateless.

  Compare: 1948 No 15 s 23

  Subsection (1)(c) was amended, as from 14 September 1982, by section 10 Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 (1982 No 11) by inserting the words “or the Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982”.

  Subsection (2) was amended, as from 21 April 2005, by section 11(1) Citizenship Amendment Act 2005 (2005 No 43) by substituting the words “grant, or any grant requirement” for the words “or grant”.

  Subsection (3) was inserted, as from 21 April 2005, by section 11(2) Citizenship Amendment Act 2005 (2005 No 43).