A bill that would restore the entitlement to New Zealand citizenship rights for some Sāmoans passed its first reading last Wednesday.

The Restoring Citizenship Removed By Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982, in which the National Party were the sole opposers, will now move to the select committee but what does that mean?

What is a select committee?

Speaking to Levi Matautia-Morgan on Pacific Mornings, Labour MP Rachel Boyack says the select committee is a group of MPs from across parliament.

"We have 'subject matter' select committees, so you have one for health, one for education, one for Justice."

Boyack is the Chair of the Governance and Administration select committee, which analyses bills relating to birth, deaths, marriages and citizenship, adding that this bill will have the Department of Internal Affairs input since they are knowledgeable in citizenship matters.

She says the member amount of each select committee varies and that her committee has seven MPs. The opposition which is Green MP Celia Wade-Brown, Boyack herself and fellow Labour MP Lemauga Lydia Sosense, with the government-end consisting of National's Cameron Brewer, Tom Rutherford, Tim Costley and NZ First's Andy Foster.

When and how you can make a submission

Boyack says they will open public submissions next week, giving the public six weeks to make a submission, and that the call-out will be in both English and Sāmoan.

People can send written and oral submissions with the latter allowing in-person presentations at Parliament to the select committee.

Submissions can be made through e-mail, the parliament website or by physically bringing a copy of a submission to parliament.

However, for a oral submission Boyack says to note that request on a written submission so that their committee can assess how many people they will hear from in person.

"We also let people do submissions over Zoom.

"If we get a large number of [oral] submissions from outside of Wellington then the committee will consider travelling to other parts of the country like Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.

"But those decisions are for the committee, they're not ones I can just make as the chair."

She also says people can lobby committee members but encourages the aforementioned submission process as committee members are obligated to read submissions and take advice from officials.

'Ala mai, tu la'i': A Sāmoan Labour MP on why you should make a submission

During the bill's first reading, Labour MP Lemauga Lydia Sosense opened her speech with the song 'O le fana ta'avili', an historical account of Sāmoa's infamous Black Saturday event where Mau movement leader Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III "was martyred during a peaceful march against New Zealand's and Great Britain's rule of Sāmoa".

Lemauga says Black Saturday, which led to the deaths of 12 Sāmoans with 30 wounded, is important to recall because the Mau movement were protesting for Sāmoan voices to be heard under the NZ administration.

"I wanted to draw on the history because that took one of our most significant, prominent leaders and then we have to roll forward to where we are today.

"I am asking, with my colleagues, that Sāmoans wake up, ala mai, tu la'i (wake up, take a stand).

"Politicians in the house have a responsibility to hear the voices of our community.

"Let's have our say, let's debate and utilise the process that is before us so that Sāmoans have their say."

Getting help with your submission

Boyack encourages the public to talk with their local member of Parliament, elected city councillor or church leader in gaining help with a submission.

She says as a local MP that public input has been vital in changing her mind or informing her better which leads to effective law change.

"So, your local MP is a very important person to talk to. Also if you have a list MP in your area they're worth talking to."

The bill-to-law process and why this one may take awhile

If the Sāmoan citizenship bill is green lit throughout the entire process, it will have gone through a first reading, the select committee who then write a report to Parliament, a second reading, then the committee stage where MPs can make amendments and then the final third reading where the bill "then becomes law at the time that bill stipulates".

However, Boyack says this bill has significant factors that could delay it let alone it passing every stage with flying colours.

She says a "normal" bill can take around six months to process but that this bill could take longer as it comes from an MP, Green Party's Teanau Tuiono, which makes it a member bill.

"It can be another three or four months depending on how long it takes to make its way through Parliament."

Boyack says delay factors include potentially extending the six week public submission window as the volume of applications could backlog past the deadline.

She says that the report to Parliament after the first reading could also take a few weeks. Furthermore, there are only a certain number of days in Parliament each year so attendance for each reading could delay it further.

Finally, Boyack says that Tuiono himself wants "the bill done properly not quickly because we know it's important for people".

"That's my goal is to make sure that we consider it so that the bill we send back to Parliament is the best possible bill it can be."

This article was first published on the Pacific Media Network’s website.