New Zealand

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post, covering July 5 to July 13, was compiled with support from Lucia Petty and Rebecca Turkington.

Over the past year, both the Australian and New Zealand governments have faced reports that the Chinese government has gained influence within their political systems, universities, and media markets. So far only Canberra has responded firmly. Australia’s domestic intelligence agency [ASIO] wrote in its annual report to parliament this year that it believed foreign governments are trying to extend their influence (pdf) into Australian society, posing “a threat to our sovereignty, the ­integrity of our national institutions and the exercise of our citizens’ rights.” Beijing’s influence campaign within Australian and New Zealand domestic politics also may be a sign of the future. For more on China’s apparent influence strategy in Australia and New Zealand, and its relevance to Beijing’s increasingly assertive attempts to wield power within other states, read my new Expert Brief.

Reports that China has stepped up efforts to gain influence in foreign political systems have sparked concern in Australia, New Zealand, and other states amid signs that the campaign may be shaping debate on regional issues in Asia.

In October 2016, the New Zealand government withdrew the visa waiver arrangements for South African passport holders. It said the decision resulted from the number of South African visitors who used the visa waiver to visit family and friends in Zealand, rather than traveling to New Zealand for business or tourism. It also said that some South African visitors were overstaying the three month visa waiver limit or did not return to South Africa. The New Zealand government also cited the number of visitors who presented counterfeit South African passports and were denied entry by the New Zealand authorities. In December 2016, the South African government announced that it was in turn withdrawing the visa exemption for New Zealand passport holders. The home affairs minister said that South Africa’s visa waiver policy was based on reciprocity. South Africa and New Zealand are both members of the Commonwealth; white South Africans have long looked at New Zealand as a possible immigration destination. According to the 2013 New Zealand census, 54,279 or 1.36 percent of the country’s population had been born in South Africa. South Africa was the fifth largest source of New Zealand immigrants: ahead of it was the United Kingdom, China, India, and Australia. Over 90 percent of South African immigrants have arrived in New Zealand after the end of apartheid. The majority of whom are white. Contrary to conventional wisdom, in absolute numbers the white population of South Africa is larger now than it was at the end of apartheid. Though, whites at about 8.3 percent of the population are a smaller proportion of the total population than in 1991 (according to the last census prior to the end of apartheid whites represented 11.7 percent of the population ). Whites continue to immigrate to South Africa, notably from the U.K. The tit for tat withdrawal of the visa exemption by the two governments does not appear to have larger significance beyond New Zealand’s effort to eliminate visa abuse. South Africa’s action appears to be purely reciprocal.