The end of the British World and the redefinition of citizenship in Aotearoa New Zealand, 1950s–1970s

In the 1950s, Aotearoa New Zealand very much identified itself as a British country and an integral part of a wider British World, which had the UK at its heart. However, by the 1970s, this British World had come to an end, as had Aotearoa New Zealand’s self-identification as a British nation. During this period, citizenship in Aotearoa New Zealand was redefined in a significant way from being an ethnic (British) based one to a more civic founded one–which was more inclusive of other ethnic groups and apparently Māori. This article will argue that this redefinition of citizenship took place primarily in the context of this major shift in national identity. After having established the context of the end of the British World in Aotearoa New Zealand (with a focus on the UK’s application for entry into the European Economic Community (EEC) and the British military withdrawal from ‘East of Suez’), it will explore the British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act of 1959 and the Citizenship and Aliens Act of 1977 to illustrate the ways in which citizenship became more inclusive of other ethnic groups in the country. It will then study the Māori Affairs Amendment Act of 1967 and the subsequent Māori Affairs Amendment Act of 1974 to highlight the ways in which citizenship in Aotearoa New Zealand also attempted to incorporate Māori, but this proved highly problematic and at this stage, unresolved.