Four decades ago, activist Falema’i Lesa created history when the Privy Council granted New Zealand citizenship to Western Sāmoans born after 1924.

Forty-two years later, her campaigns have not ceased.

Lesa was among the last people to present their oral submissions to the Governance and Administration Select Committee on Green MP Teanau Tuiono’s bill aimed at restoring New Zealand citizenship for some Sāmoans.

The bill passed its first reading in April with support from all parties except National.

Speaking in Sāmoan, Lesa said she was happy when she found out that the bill was drawn 42 years after the Privy Council ruled in favour of her case, which the Muldoon government, at the time, overruled.

“Pau a le agaga maualuga, ia fa’asa’oloto le fealua’i a tagata o lo’u atunu’u, e aunoa ma le lavelavea i le tulafono. Pe ana faapea latou te le aveeseina lea aia tatau mai tagata Samoa."

Translation: “The only thing I want is for my people to be able to travel freely without any hindrance or legal implications if only they didn’t take away this right from Sāmoans.”

Lesa said it all began for her when immigration officers showed up at her workplace and locked her up at a police station on Taranaki Street.

“O le potu sa ou nofo ai, na o le frame lava o le moega e leai se faamalu. Na o le niusipepa e taatia ai i luga, e te nofonofo ma faitau.

“Ona sau lea o le leoleo sa tiute i le aso lea faapea mai, “E mana’omia se tasi e tatalaina a’u i tua, bail me out. Sa ou faapea “oh, le iloa e a’u gi kagaka kele i Wellington nei”. Peita’i, o leisi toeaina Sikotilani sa matou galulue, o le Samaria Agalelei lena sa tatalaina a’u i tua. O loa lea.”

Translation: “The room/cell that I was put in, had only a bed frame with no mattress. There was merely a newspaper on top for one to sit there and read.

“Then the officer that was on duty that day came and said to me, “You need someone to come and bail you out”. I thought, “Oh, I don’t know many people in Wellington”. However, a Scottish man who I worked with was the good samaritan that bailed me out.”

After being bailed out, Lesa said they soon found a lawyer, George Rosenburg, who did not think her case would be successful after a similar case he’d taken up did not progress. But after much thought, he took on her case.

Before her case reached the Privy Council, New Zealand's highest court of appeal at the time, Lesa credited the generosity of the Sāmoan community who fundraised to get the case to Britain.

After a few weeks, she won her case which would soon be overruled a few months later when the 1982 Act was passed which saw the right to New Zealand citizenship removed for people born in Western Sāmoa between 13 May 1924 and 1 January 1949.

Tuiono’s member’s bill which was picked out of the Biscuit Tin last August and aimed at restoring that right to New Zealand citizenship, concluded its submission process this week with about 25,000 submissions received.

Lesa and her family were present on the last day of oral submissions at Parliament House and moved some select committee members to tears with her statement.

“Fai le pili muamua pasia, lea ua faatali lea pei ona tatou i ai i lenei vaitau, po’o le a le tulaga o le a iai. Afai o le a pasia, vi’ia le Ali’i. E aumai e le Atua le tali amiotonu, pei a ona aumai e le Privy Council, ua leva ona fa’atali ai Samoa.

“Aua fo’i o NZ sa na tu’u mai e Peretania e va’aia Samoa. Sa osi le feagaiga a atunu’u e lua. A lea ua toe nofo ma aveese le aia tatau a Samoa.

“E talitonu a la le mafaufau, e tatau a ona toe pasia lenei pili, ma tu’u filemu mai le sitiseni o Samoa, ona uma lea ma le vevesi. Fiafia NZ, fiafia Samoa, ia ua toe fa’afou le la feagaiga o le fa’auoga a NZ ma Samoa, pe a fai e toe auma’i lo’u sitiseni.”

Translation: “The first reading was passed, now we wait for this next part and where it will end. If it passes, Praise God. God will bring an honest and just decision, just like the Privy Council. Sāmoans have been waiting for a long time.

“Britain gave Sāmoa to New Zealand to administer and protect. They formed a covenant between the two countries. However, they have gone and taken away the rights of our Sāmoan people.

“I truly believe that this bill should pass and there should be a smooth handover of citizenship to our Sāmoan people, after which, all the hassle will be over.

“New Zealand will be happy. Sāmoa will be happy, and there will be a renewal of the Treaty of Friendship between NZ and Samoa if the citizenship bill is restored.”

This article was first published by Pacific Media Network.