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Her case ''Lesa v Attorney-General of New Zealand'', in which she pressed her claim to be a New Zealand citizen, is a key legal case and had considerable impact on Samoans and New Zealand Law. The Privy Council ruled in July 1982 that all Western Samoans born between 1924 and 1948 were British subjects, and that under the [[British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948]] from 1 January 1949 they and their descendants had become New Zealand citizens.
One of the results of this ruling was the controversial decision by the [[Third National Government of New Zealand|Muldoon National government]] to pass the '''[[New Zealand Citizenship and Western Samoa Act 1982]]''' which effectively rescinded and annulled any citizenship claims by Samoans living in Samoa in retrospect. Only Samoans who can prove they were in New Zealand on 14 September 1982 are eligible for New Zealand citizenship. Lesa herself
Her barristers were George Rosenberg and Dr. George Paterson Barton, [[Queen's Counsel|Q.C.]], from [[Wellington]], who both acted in a number of prominent cases affecting Samoans.
The case continues to generate controversy and spur efforts to amend the immigration and nationality laws in New Zealand.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rdln.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/depriving-samoans-of-immigration-and-citizenship-rights/|title=Depriving Samoans of immigration and citizenship rights|last=says|date=2011-08-29|website=Redline|language=en|access-date=2019-02-06}}</ref>
== Overturned bill ==
In 2024, Green MP Teanau Tuiono introduced a private members bill Restoring Citizenship Removed by Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 Bill to try to restore NZ citizenship to Samoans in Samoa.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Young |first1=Audrey |title=Samoa citizenship bill passes first hurdle in Parliament with help of ACT and NZ First |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/513953/samoa-citizenship-bill-passes-first-hurdle-in-parliament-with-help-of-act-and-nz-first |access-date=10 April 2024 |work=RNZ |agency=New Zealand Herald |date=10 April 2024 |language=en-nz}}</ref>
== Personal History ==
{{asof|2022}}, filmmaker Jade Jackson is working on an oral history project to record Lesa's story.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mauafu |first1=Neueli |title=Oral History Project highlights woman at the centre of history-making court case |url=https://tpplus.co.nz/community/oral-history-project-highlights-woman-at-the-centre-history-making-court-case/ |access-date=10 April 2024 |work=TP+}}</ref>
==See also==
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