Labour Pledges Pacific Visa-Waiver Travel to Strengthen Cultural and Whānau Connections

On Saturday, 19 September 2026, the Labour Party announced a significant election policy aimed at making travel easier and more affordable for Pacific families reconnecting with relatives in Aotearoa. According to Waatea News, the proposal would expand visa-waiver travel to citizens of Pacific Islands Forum nations, addressing long-standing barriers that have historically complicated travel for family and cultural occasions. Labour Deputy Leader and Pacific Peoples spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni stated that the existing system often leaves New Zealand-based families carrying significant visa costs and sponsorship responsibilities. She noted that current cost-of-living pressures have made these financial hurdles even more difficult for families to absorb. The proposed policy recognizes the deep whakapapa and cultural connections between Aotearoa and the wider Pacific, where hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders have family ties in nations such as Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, and the Cook Islands. Under the proposal, short-term travel would be streamlined, allowing relatives to attend vital life events such as weddings, births, and tangihanga without the delays of conventional visitor visa applications. While Immigration New Zealand has previously highlighted overstay and security risks, Labour’s plan seeks to balance immigration compliance with the unique relationship New Zealand shares with its Pacific neighbours. The announcement acknowledges that Māori and Pacific peoples share deep ancestral relationships across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa that predate modern border systems. This policy is part of a broader immigration platform for the 2026 election, which includes a separate two-year window for Pacific overstayers to regularise their status. While visa-waiver status does not grant unrestricted residence and would still require travellers to meet border and character requirements, the shift is intended to treat Pacific citizens with the same ease of access currently afforded to nationals from many countries further afield.