2 November 2020 | Read a plain text version of this newsletter

In this issue we highlight the work being done to promote and support the uses of te reo Māori during your ceremonies.

Keep safe.

Kia pai tō rā (Have a good day)
Jeff

All ceremonies to resume by 1 March 2020

We appreciate that resuming ceremonies may take some time for different local authorities to coordinate dates and venues; however, we’re intending for all councils to resume by 1 March 2021.

What we need from you

Please email CitizenshipCeremonies@dia.govt.nz as soon as possible with the earliest date in 2021 that your local authority may be able to hold it's first ceremony.

All local authorities are expected to resume ceremonies by 1 March 2021.

Our Citizenship Team will work with individual local authorities to resume ceremonies.

How candidates will know they are attending a ceremony

Between now and March 2021, some customers will be invited to a ceremony and others will continue to receive their certificate by courier while local authorities get back up and running. We have amended the approval letter we send candidates to indicate this.

Customers will know they are attending a ceremony when they receive an invite. If they receive their certificate by courier, they do not need to attend a ceremony.

In the approval letter, we have directed customers to our  citizenship website, where we will keep an up-to-date list of when ceremonies are resuming in each region.

If a candidate feels unsafe attending a ceremony

The safety of our customers, their whānau and the people hosting these ceremonies is important to us.

All local authorities are required to adhere to the following advice from the government and Ministry of Health, but there may be candidates that are uneasy about attending a large public gathering:

• Information about COVID-19 from the Ministry of Health
• Government advice about COVID-19 on Govt.nz

We recommend that local authorities make available hand sanitiser and masks, ensure there is the capability to maintain physical distancing if required, and clearly display the COVID-19 QR code for contact tracing of all attendees and guests.

If a candidate has concerns about attending a public ceremony, they should email CitizenshipCeremonies@dia.govt.nz stating that they consider they should not attend a ceremony because:

• they or a family member has been or may have been exposed to a transmissible illness; or 
• they consider that attending the ceremony would create a risk to their own or others’ health.

Why Auckland is starting in December 

Auckland Council have indicated that they are ready and able to resume ceremonies. The Department is also ready to start. As Auckland has the largest proportion of candidates for citizenship, there are enough candidates about to be approved to make ceremonies worthwhile this year. 

We’re also using this as an opportunity to ‘trial’ a new technological system within the Department that supports the management of citizenship ceremonies. This system was first launched in March 2020, but there was little opportunity to put the new system to use before the change to Alert Level 4. Working closely with a controlled group in Auckland before resuming across the country will help us to ensure that different features like seating plans, invitations and varying sizes of ceremonies are working as intended.

During this time, we will also start to build a pool of candidates so local authorities have the minimum number of attendees available for their venue.

Monitoring of COVID-19 alert levels

We appreciate it is possible that COVID-19 may reappear in the community again and Alert Levels will change. We will continue to monitor this situation and follow public health guidance on how to proceed safely.

Ceremonies will be cancelled in regions where the COVID-19 Alert Level is above Alert Level 1.

If a local authority is unable to safely hold ceremonies under certain Alert Levels and decides to suspend ceremonies in that location please advise CitizenshipCeremonies@dia.govt.nz ASAP. The Department will determine whether the candidates can be rescheduled into a later ceremony or whether we will send their citizenship certificate to them via courier. 

This will be discussed on a region-by-region basis and will follow official public health guidance.

New online resource that includes forecast numbers

A new online resource has been created on the Public Sector Intranet to provide easy access to our guide for running ceremonies and to previous newsletters. 

The webpage also includes a forecast of the estimated applications approved and available for ceremonies. 

www.psi.govt.nz/home/guidance/guidance-for-citizenship-ceremonies

Support during the resumption of ceremonies

Our Citizenship Team are available to provide support and answer questions at CitizenshipCeremonies@dia.govt.nz. Alternately local authorities may contact Vaughan.Millar@dia.govt.nz

Next issue of Choice video

Until such time as we issue a new Choice Whiriwhiria video, please continue to use the current version https://youtu.be/n9b3V40TYW8

Thank you to those that replied with their preferred format for the next version of the video. Providing a downloadable file came out on top with YouTube close behind. A DVD will therefore no longer be issued.

Whakatairangahia te Oati Rauranga i Te Reo Māori
Promoting the Citizenship Oath in Te Reo Māori

Most new citizens by grant are required to attend a ceremony and take an oath or affirmation to confirm their allegiance to New Zealand. Over the last few years, a number of people have taken their oath in te reo Māori. More may have liked to do so but may not have realised it was an option.

As part of the Department of Internal Affairs’ commitment to Maihi Karauna (the Crown’s Strategy for Māori Language Revitalisation), we have been exploring how to make it easier for people to take the citizenship oath in te reo Māori. We’ve interviewed new citizens, prospective citizens, and council staff about their expectations and experience. 

While awareness of the te reo Māori oath option is low, those who did know about it talked about the significance of this choice:

I wanted to be clear that I was becoming a citizen of Aotearoa, not the UK. I was wanting to do something that was more geographically and culturally relevant. I wanted to add that element. (New citizen)

I would only encourage anyone to take that opportunity, feeling like you are being an active Treaty partner. (New citizen)

The use of te reo Māori in this way offers an opportunity for a shared sense of national identity. Councils, who administer the ceremonies, are also positive about the prospect of greater numbers making their statements in te reo Māori:

I think it’s a really good step forward, a great idea to include that option. I can be confident that it’s something that our council would embrace. (Council staff member)

As a result of this research and subject to final approval, we are planning to include the Māori oath option in the online and paper citizenship by grant application forms and other correspondence to candidates. 

Work is now underway to make changes to these forms, our govt.nz website and other communications. We’ll provide you an update on how things are progressing in our next Choice newsletter.