ABSTRACT
The proliferation of visa-waiver arrangements between pairs of countries has transformed the nature of migration between these countries. New Zealand has a very liberal visa-waiver policy by comparison with other traditional countries of immigration such as Australia and the United States. This chapter explores the development of this policy as part of the wider transformation of New Zealand’s immigration policy, and the drive to ‘locate’ New Zealand more firmly in the Asia-Pacific region. New Zealand is unusual in the Asia-Pacific region because of a willingness by successive governments to enter into bilateral visa-waiver agreements. The history of visa-waiver arrangements in New Zealand goes back to the end of the Second World War and the passing of the New Zealand Citizenship Act in 1948. The first Asian countries to be included in the privileged visa-waiver/fee-waiver systems were Japan and the Philippines.
