95bFM The new citizenship test and the government's broader anti-immigrant agenda
26 May, 2026
Interview by Caeden Tipler, adapted by Samantha Watson-Tayler
Currently, immigrants to New Zealand must sign a form stating their understanding of ideas such as the Bill of Rights, democratic principles, and freedom of speech. The government is proposing a new test, which will require citizenship applicants to answer questions on these topics in order to have their applications approved.
The change was announced by Internal Affairs Minister and Act MP Brooke van Velden, who argued that people who want to join New Zealand should have a good understanding of New Zealand values.
Sher Singh, President of the Migrant Rights Network, spoke to 95bFM’s The Wire about this change and what it might mean for those affected.
Singh says that while many of the migrant workers coming into New Zealand would already pass the new test, issues arise when they attempt to bring their family members with them. He expects that older relatives such as parents or grandparents would have a harder time answering the questions.
He adds that the inclusion of the Bill of Rights in the test is inappropriate, especially for older immigrants or those whose native language is not English. Additionally, many native born New Zealanders do not know the contents of the Bill of Rights.
Speaking to 95bFM’s The Wire, the National Party's Ryan Hamilton said that the test is intended to ensure that anyone joining New Zealand society held “the values of what it means to be a Kiwi”. When asked if it was holding immigrants to a higher standard of knowledge than natural-born citizens, he said that was a potentially valid concern, and that the test could highlight gaps in New Zealand's education system.
“Often we know things innately or intuitively, but it's not until they're made explicit that it actually makes you pause and reflect and think. So yeah, that'll be a good question, and whether those things then need to get picked up through our education system, whether they are explicitly or implicitly, I don't know.”
These policies come within a broader move from the coalition parties to push immigration as an important issue for this year's election. We've seen multiple examples since the start of 2026, with Shane Jones' derogatory comments earlier this year, the government's Immigration (Enhanced Risk Management) Amendment Bill, and the ACT Party's six point immigration plan.
The ACT Party's Simon Court spoke to 95bFM's The Wire about why he thought the government was increasing their policy announcements around immigration. He stressed that while New Zealand is accepting of immigrants, he had seen some concerns raised.
"Over the past few years, our trust and confidence in the immigration system has been called into question. During COVID the borders were closed, people couldn't come and go. At that time, the Labour government offered over 200,000 people who were on temporary visas... a pathway to permanent residency."
He says that number, combined with overseas concerns over uncontrolled immigration, has motivated the government to look into more controls. When asked if these policies could be contributing to growing anti-immigrant sentiment in Aotearoa, Court stressed the government's responsibility to "maintain confidence in immigration", and that the public is concerned over immigration restrictions becoming relaxed.
The latest Ipsos New Zealand issues monitor found that, while immigration had jumped four places in the issues New Zealanders most care about, it's still outside the top ten. In fact, only 8% of New Zealanders marked it as a concern. In Australia, immigration is an issue for around 24%.
When asked if the government is attempting to import overseas culture war issues, Court said it was important for the government to ensure they were responding to "actual problems", rather than "emotional responses to what we've seen on social media overseas."
The Green Party's Ricardo Menendez March, also speaking to The Wire, says the government is attempting to push a narrative that overstayers are a major problem in New Zealand. He says these attacks are particularly inspired by similar efforts from the Donald Trump-led administration in the United States, where anti-immigration policies are used to hide inaction on cost of living.
"It's trying to turn people against their neighbours. It's trying to pit people against their migrant neighbours, as opposed to the wealthy few at the top who are making humongous profits while these governments are telling everybody else that there's no money to fix healthcare, no money to have decent public transport, no money to end poverty. Clearly there is that level of resources, but it's easier to scapegoat migrant communities than actually look at the underlying systemic issues."
