Peter Thiel—Obtained New Zealand citizenship after only 12 days in the country, bypassing standard residency requirements
In 2011, Peter Thiel was granted New Zealand citizenship despite spending only 12 days in the country over the prior five years, far short of the required 1,350 days. Internal Affairs approved his application under a 'public interest' provision citing his investments and a $1M earthquake donation. Thiel stated he would continue residing in the US. The controversy, revealed publicly in 2017, raised questions about preferential treatment for billionaires. Former Minister Peter Dunne said there were 'no reasonable grounds' for granting the citizenship.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Governance | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Corporate Transparency | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.497 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (medium ×1) × confidence (0.66)
Evidence (2 signals)
Former NZ Minister Peter Dunne said there were 'no reasonable grounds' for granting Thiel citizenship
Former New Zealand Minister of Internal Affairs Peter Dunne publicly criticized the decision to grant Thiel citizenship, stating that Thiel had actively lobbied ministers but had rarely been seen in New Zealand since receiving citizenship, and concluded there were 'no reasonable grounds' for the grant.
NZ government documents revealed Thiel spent only 12 days in country before receiving citizenship
In June 2017, New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs released documents showing Peter Thiel had spent only 12 days in the country in the five years before his 2011 citizenship application, far short of the 1,350 days typically required. His application was approved under a 'public interest' exception based on non-binding investment promises and a $1M earthquake donation.