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Story: Immigration regulation

Immigration in wartime

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Immigration in wartime

During the First World War, no one could land in New Zealand without a passport or other form of identification. ‘Aliens’ (including nationals of the countries with which New Zealand was at war) were required to register. The Undesirable Immigrants Exclusion Act 1919 was aimed at keeping out Germans, socialists and Marxists.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Reference: New Zealand Statutes Reprint, 1908-1957, pp. 317–22.

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How to cite this page

Ann Beaglehole, Immigration regulation – 1914–1945: restrictions on non-British immigration, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/document/4030/immigration-in-wartime (accessed 9 June 2026).

Story by Ann Beaglehole, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 August 2015.