A Father’s Journey Home: John Ruddock Secures Citizenship for Children and Advocates for Māori Whakapapa Pathway

A Māori father’s persistence in navigating New Zealand’s citizenship laws has reached a successful personal milestone, but his mission to help other whānau continues. John Ruddock, of Ngāpuhi descent, has successfully secured citizenship for himself and his three children after a challenging journey upon returning to Aotearoa from Hawaii. Reporting from Wellington on 24 July 2026, RNZ’s Pokere Paewai documented Ruddock’s ongoing advocacy for a dedicated 'tangata whenua' or 'whakapapa' pathway under the Citizenship Act 1977. Ruddock, whose mother was the renowned singer Rhonda Bryers, was born in Australia and raised in Hawaii. He initially found his children were ineligible for citizenship by descent because the current law is limited to one generation born overseas. This status previously prevented his children from enrolling in school and created significant financial and emotional strain. In his pursuit of a resolution, Ruddock took a claim to the Waitangi Tribunal. The Tribunal recommended amending the Act to include a tikanga-based pathway, suggesting that iwi and hapū could assist in assessing whakapapa evidence to extend citizenship by descent to two generations for Māori. While Ruddock has now secured status for his own family through existing channels, he remains committed to institutional change to ensure other Māori born abroad—including those supported by actor Keisha Castle-Hughes, who faced similar concerns—can return home permanently. Despite the Minister of Internal Affairs, Brooke van Velden, stating there are currently no plans to review the Act, Ruddock remains focused on the future. He noted that while Māori represent a small percentage of the global population, a clear pathway is essential for those wishing to raise their children on ancestral soil. Today, Ruddock and his whānau are settled in Wellington, where he reports his children are flourishing and finding their identities in 'the land of the free.'