Dear Department of Internal Affairs,

The British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948 (Public Act no. 15 of 1948) was an Act of the New Zealand Parliament passed into law in 1948 establishing New Zealand citizenship for New Zealanders, separate from their previous status as British subjects.

By virtue of this legislation we were all British subjects

at that time we were all equal as the treaty of waitangi had specifically granted Maori
those very same rights in the third article of the treaty

in 1977 the New Zealand citizenship act was passed and by virtue of section 13 new zealand citizenship continued for those who had become citizens under the 1948 act.

the act was however silent on the British subject status whcih had been granted to all those to whom the 1948 act applied .

I beleive that we lost our Brtish subject status on 1 jan 1983

by way of OIA please provide the legal provisions by which New Zealanders lost the british subject status and any discusion papers and policies which consider the implications of the loss of this status especially as it applies to

1 those naturalised and becoming New Zealand citizens by taking the oath of allegiance

2. the implications on maori and article 3 of the treaty of Waitangi

Yours faithfully,

Grace Haden