Australia is still the most common country of birth for people born outside New Zealand to gain citizenship, according to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA).
Figures released show that just over 8000 Australians became New Zealand citizens in 2019, either because they had a parent who is a citizen or they migrated to New Zealand. The United Kingdom comes second, with 6050 new Kiwis, followed by India, with over 4600 people. DIA General Manager (Services and Access) Jeff Montgomery said that there are various ways people can become citizens, apart from those born in New Zealand.
“People can become citizens ‘by descent,’ which means they have a parent who was born in New Zealand or ‘by grant,’ when they migrate to New Zealand and apply for citizenship. In 2019, we gained 44,413 new foreign-born Kiwis, 13,383 by descent and 31,030 by grant. We also welcomed 60,000 people who were born here,” he said.
Mr Montgomery said that the number of people gaining citizenship by grant has been declining over the past few years. In 2018, the number of people gaining citizenship by grant was 35,737 people, down from 36,450 people in 2017.
Online applications
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The key trend in 2020 will be people applying for citizenship online. Mr Montgomery said the Department launched its online application service in October 2019, with restricted availability. “We look forward to extending it to most other people soon. Since launching this service, more than 1600 people have applied. Online applications are the way of the future as they make things very easy for those applying. “Regardless of how people become citizens, they can check their eligibility online from anywhere in the world,” he said.
By the numbers
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Total new citizens by descent or grant for 2019: 44,413 (2018: 49,428)
By descent in 2019: 13,383 (2018: 13,691)
By grant in 2019: 31,030 (2018: 35,737)
Source: Department of Internal Affairs, Government of New Zealand
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⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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62% Summer
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36.5% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
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