Bill English defends citizenship rules over Peter Thiel decision1 NEWS Opposition MPs are claiming Peter Thiel’s case shows NZ citizenship can be bought. Prime Minister Bill English has defended a decision to grant citizenship to American tech billionaire Peter Thiel, saying "a little bit of flexibility" is useful when it comes to citizenship laws. Prime Minister Bill English has defended a decision to grant citizenship to American tech billionaire Peter ThielSpeaking to media in Christchurch, English said there was "no question about the correctness of the process", with citizenship under exceptional circumstances available for those who did not meet residency rules. WARWICK SMITH/FAIRFAX NZ Prime Minister Bill English says between 200 and 300 people are granted New Zealand citizenship under exceptional circumstances each year. Reuters PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel has been a Kiwi since June 2011, it was revealed this week.

Source: Stuff January 25, 2017 21:50 UTC