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Even after more than a year living in Aotearoa and having secured citizenship for himself and his three children, John Ruddock is still fighting to create a citizenship pathway for other overseas-born Māori, like him.
Ruddock’s mother, Rhonda Bryers, was a singer known as ‘The Voice of New Zealand’ and later the ‘Queen of the South Pacific’. He was born in Australia while she was touring, and raised mostly in Hawaii.
Ruddock (Ngāpuhi) grew up assuming citizenship would not be a problem for his own children, but when he returned with them to Aotearoa he found that as citizenship by descent is limited to one generation, there was no pathway for them.
Without citizenship, his children could not enrol in school. He was raising them largely alone, feeding them on $30 a week.
“I just didn’t know if people were going to come down the door and actually kick my kids or deport them, you know? It was very scary, and I just wouldn’t wish any of that on my worst enemy.
“So I just feel there’s got to be something that we can create, a tangata whenua pathway or whakapapa pathway, something. Because I don’t have any family that’s not buried in these soils.”
Last year he took a claim to the Waitangi Tribunal, which recommended the Citizenship Act 1977 be amended to establish a tikanga pathway to citizenship that allows for hapū and iwi to assess whakapapa evidence and to extend citizenship by descent to two generations for Māori.
Ultimately Ruddock was able to secure citizenship for himself and his three children, but there has been no movement on a dedicated tangata whenua pathway to citizenship.
“The pathway that I did get... I mean, I don’t really think it’s considered a pathway. You know, I think I creaked open the door, which I think is the awesome part. It was on the news, and I feel that was important for the possibility of a pathway. But I do feel... we need some more done to prevent this from happening.
“And I feel, I don’t think it’s a huge threat to the population, to the government, to the economy. I just feel we’re tangata whenua, and we have a unique thing having Te Tiriti, you know, and we are always and always will be tangata whenua.”
Ruddock believed the problem he faced would only grow as more and more Māori were born to parents who were born in places like Australia and the United States.
“I’m sure a lot of people would love to bring their kids back home once they’ve, you know, established their life. And I just feel that there needs to be a pathway for that at least, you know?
“0.01 per cent of the world’s population are Māori, and there’s not going to be some huge stampede of Māori coming, but there should be at least a pathway set up for the future.”
In his claim to the Waitangi Tribunal, Ruddock was supported by Whale Rider actress Keisha Castle-Hughes, who was born in Australia and whose daughter was born in the United States.
“It was quite surprising that, you know, like the ‘whale rider’ is having this problem. She’s beloved by everyone around the world.”
Ruddock said he has had other Māori going through similar situations approach him, but many had given up and left Aotearoa.
Ruddock himself thought about leaving New Zealand.
“It’s just going to keep happening, and the most stories I’ve heard is they’ve given up and left. So I decided that I’m not going to do that. And so I just stuck to my guns and, you know, I just put my kids first. I mean, that was my main focus, I’m just trying to raise my kids here at home.”
‘No plans to review’ - minister
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden said she respected the findings of the Waitangi Tribunal.
“However, my position remains the same, and I have no plans to review and open up the Act.
“I have focused my efforts in this area on work to strengthen the citizenship by grant process with the introduction of a test from late 2027, and ensuring all applicants, no matter their race, receive more timely responses to their application.
“In October 2023, people were waiting an average of 180 days to get a decision on their citizenship by grant application. Now, the average wait time is 53 days.”
‘They’re finding their identities’: Whānau settling into life in Aotearoa
Ruddock said after a rocky year he was finally able to put his feet up and settle into his home in Wellington, and his children were flourishing.
“When we first came, I remember my kids said, ‘I thought they said America’s the land of the free - this is the land of the free. We can just run away, go play in the parks.’
“So, yeah, they love it. They’re just getting settled in, finding their identities amongst their peers in school. It’s quite a beautiful thing to watch as well.
“So I know this is, as a parent, this is what I wanted to be able to provide for them, which I couldn’t in a foreign country.”
He said his kids were “sucking up all the culture”, including karakia and kapa haka as well as embracing their Samoan heritage.
Ruddock thanked the Porirua Whānau Centre, which provided support while he was fighting to secure citizenship for his whānau.
“Being a single father of three, I don’t really have time to venture out, you know? I don’t really hang with people; I talk to kids all the time. So when basically the Whānau Centre, you know, they reached out to me when the news article went out and basically offered so much help.
“If anyone goes through that, you know, just stay strong. And, you know, in anything in life, just stay positive. And if you feel you’re doing the right thing, then you probably are.
“Single fathers out there, you know, just put your kids first, always.”
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