Māori Status in New Zealand Law · Modern Status Audit · Part 22 · 1914–1928
When did British subjecthood become a general codified nationality rule?
The British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act 1914 codified the wider imperial rule: birth within His Majesty's dominions and allegiance produced natural-born British-subject status. New Zealand later incorporated that regime into its own law.
By the First World War, British subjecthood was no longer being expressed principally through a Māori-specific statute.
The British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act 1914 codified nationality across the Empire. Section 1 included, among the persons deemed natural-born British subjects, any person born within His Majesty's dominions and allegiance.
New Zealand legislation later expressly incorporated the imperial nationality regime. The 1943 New Zealand amendment records that the British Nationality and Status of Aliens (in New Zealand) Act 1928 had made relevant provisions of the United Kingdom Acts part of New Zealand law so far as applicable.
Why this matters
Māori no longer needed to be singled out in nationality legislation to fall within British-subject status if they came within the general birth-and-allegiance rule.
What this still does not answer
A nationality statute defines status inside the Crown legal order. It does not itself demonstrate the historical consent of rangatira or hapū to the sovereignty premise underlying that order.
Subjecthood had now become ordinary nationality law rather than a special legal classification unique to Māori.
Imperial nationality statuteBritish Nationality and Status of Aliens Act 1914.
NZ incorporation recordBritish Nationality and Status of Aliens (in New Zealand) Amendment Act 1943.