Green Party MP Teanau Tuiono has welcomed the New Zealand government’s move to introduce multiple-entry visas for Tongan and other Pacific island travellers, but insists more must be done to strengthen ties with Pacific nations.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced in Tonga that, starting in July, Tongans can travel to New Zealand on 24-month multiple-entry visas.
While this extends visa flexibility, Tuiono argues it doesn’t go far enough.
The Green MP said on Facebook: “We continue to call for our Pacific relatives to be granted Visa Waiver status as a necessary step to strengthen and honour our relationships in the region.”
While acknowledging that extended visas reduce financial and administrative burdens, Tuiono criticised the policy for still requiring Pacific Islanders to pay fees and face delays not imposed on travellers from visa-waiver countries.
“This is a missed opportunity to deliver what our Pacific whānau deserve,” he said.
Earlier this year, the Greens launched a petition advocating for visa-free access to Aotearoa for all Pacific Island Forum members and other Pacific nations.
Tuiono emphasised that New Zealand, as part of the Pacific family, should remove “unfair barriers to entry” for its neighbours.
He reportedly said the visa barriers that prevent visitors from Pacific Island nations entering New Zealand are “unfair” – and a hangover of racism and the days of the dawn raids.
The Green Party spokesperson for Pacific Peoples launched a petition calling on the government to extend visa-free travel to visitors from Pacific Island nations.
Tuiono put the same request before the last Parliament under the Labour government, but to no avail.
Following Peter’s announcement in Tonga last week, several critics took to Facebook to assert that the application process for such opportunities is typically straightforward.
However, based on their personal experiences, they encountered numerous tedious requirements that ultimately led them to forgo the application process entirely.
