David Seymour, the ACT Party Leader and current acting Prime Minister, has declared that the treatment of Samoans who lost their citizenship in the 1980s was "wrong." 

He expressed his party's intention to back legislation aimed at restoring this citizenship, provided it doesn't lead to unintended consequences, PMN News reported.

Mr. Seymour is closely monitoring the select committee process for a bill that seeks to reinstate citizenship for affected Samoans. The ACT Party supported the initial reading of the Restoring Citizenship Removed by Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982, and Seymour indicated on Pacific Mornings that he is "80 percent sure" they will continue to support it through to law.

Reflecting on the historical context, Mr. Seymour criticized the actions of former Prime Minister Robert Muldoon, who overturned a Privy Council decision that granted New Zealand citizenship to individuals born in Samoa between 1924 and 1949. He described the government's move at the time as "silly."

"We supported the bill at its first reading and are likely to continue our support. However, we approach these issues with caution because changing citizenship rules can set precedents that impact immigration policy more broadly," Seymour explained.

While Mr. Seymour refrained from commenting on the National Party's decision not to support Teanau Tuiono's member's bill at its first reading, he affirmed that repealing the 1982 law is the correct course of action.

"It's the right thing to do for those affected and for New Zealand. If the government made a mistake in 1982, we should correct it. Overturning a reasonable court finding back then was a mistake, and refusing to fix it now is something I disagree with," Seymour stated.

Although Mr. Seymour is confident about supporting the bill in its subsequent readings, he is awaiting the outcomes of the select committee process before committing his party's full support.

In addition to discussing the bill, the Acting PM also reflected on his temporary role as acting Prime Minister in the absence of Christopher Luxon and Winston Peters, humorously suggesting he might pass some laws while his coalition partners are overseas.

"It's been just like any other day, but I'm hoping there aren't any major crises. I'm open to suggestions on what I should get done while they're away," Seymour joked.

In an interview with the Samoa Observer, Aupito William Sio, one of the leaders of the Sitiseni mo Samoa 2024 comittee said the latest update on their submissions collected from Samoa before the due date was close to a thousand submitted from S.U.N.G.O.