Section 13 — Citizenship Act 1977: Existing rights of citizenship protected

13 Existing rights of citizenship protected (1) Notwithstanding the repeal of the British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948 by section 30 of this Act, every person who, by virtue of that Act, was a New Zealand citizen immediately before the commencement of this Act, shall, subject to the succeeding provisions of this Part of this Act, continue to be a New Zealand citizen. (2) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, a person who, by virtue of the British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948, was, immediately before the commencement of this Act, a New Zealand citizen by descent only, shall, for the purposes of this Act, be deemed to be a New Zealand citizen by descent only. (3) Without limiting subsection (1) or subsection (2) of this section, but subject to subsection (4) of this section, every person born outside New Zealand on or after the 1st day of January 1949 but before the 1st day of January 1978 shall be a New Zealand citizen by descent if— (a) In any case, his father was a New Zealand citizen at the time of that person's birth; or (b) In the case of a person born on or after the 1st day of January 1970 (being the date of the commencement of the Status of Children Act 1969 ), his mother was a New Zealand citizen at the time of his birth. (4) A person shall not be a New Zealand citizen by virtue of subsection (3) of this section if that person's relevant parent was a New Zealand citizen by descent only, unless— (a) That person or his relevant parent was born in a protectorate, protected state, mandated territory, or trust territory, or any place in a foreign country where by treaty, capitulation, grant, usage, sufferance, or other lawful means Her Majesty then had jurisdiction over British subjects; or (b) In the case of a person born in a place other than a place mentioned in paragraph (a) of this subsection, his birth or citizenship by descent is registered, in accordance with regulations made under this Act, before that person has attained the age of 16 years; or (c) The relevant parent of that person was, at the time of the person's birth, in Crown service under the New Zealand Government. Subsection (4)(b) was amended, as from 18 November 1992, by section 9 Citizenship Amendment Act 1992 (1992 No 104) by inserting the words “ or citizenship by descent ” .