American conservative influencer Candace Owens has been granted a visa to enter New Zealand, following government intervention to reverse an earlier decision to reject her application.
Owens appealed to Chris Penk, the Associate Minister for Immigration, who intervened on her behalf. A spokesperson for Mr Penk said on Thursday: “The Minister made his decision after considering representations made to him, including the importance of free speech.”
Owens was set to give a speech at West Auckland’s Trusts Arena on November 14, but Immigration New Zealand rejected her visa application after she was denied entry to Australia in October, making use of a technicality in the Immigration Act that a visa cannot be granted to someone who has been excluded from another country.
Minister reverses visa denial, allows Candace Owens access to New Zealand: Massive win for Kiwis’ free speech
Associate Minister of Immigration, Hon Chris Penk, has amended Immigration New Zealand’s decision to bar Candace Owens from the country, granting her a special direction… pic.twitter.com/Q7iqCi8YJQ
— 🗣 Free Speech Union ✊ (@NZFreeSpeech) December 12, 2024
Free Speech Union chief executive Jonathan Ayling called the reversal a “huge win for the speech rights for all Kiwis”.
“It was appalling to see Immigration New Zealand follow in the footsteps of Australia and deny Owens’ entry on spurious grounds. It’s a dangerous situation to be in when the state begins to cherry-pick which voices we hear from,” he said in a statement.
“We applaud Chris Penk for doing the right thing and defending the speech rights of Candace Owens and all Kiwis. When someone is cancelled, it doesn’t just deny the speaker’s speech rights; it denies the rights of those who want to listen too.
“It’s up to individuals to decide who they want to listen to, not the Government. The associate minister has made the correct decision.”
Several groups in New Zealand has lobbied for the rejection of Owens’ visa, including the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand.
Chairwoman Deborah Hart earlier said there had been a sharp rise in anti-Semitism in New Zealand, and was concerned Owens could further stoke that. She said that Owens had “wacky ideas” and an “unhealthy preoccupation with Jews”.
Ms Hart said Owens also had “awful things to say about the gay community and Muslims.”
Young Labour NZ also supported the original ban, and published an open letter saying Owens spreads divisive and hate-filled rhetoric, which posed a threat to New Zealand.
Wonder how the censorial little idiots at @younglabournz are feeling now.
It’s a beautiful day when free speech wins. https://t.co/AwyWWI7SHd
— Ro Edge (@rosey_nz) December 12, 2024
Australia’s leftist immigration minister, Tony Burke, said in October that Owens’ visa had been denied due to her “capacity to incite discord”.
“From downplaying the impact of the Holocaust with comments about Mengele through to claims that Muslims started slavery, Candace Owens has the capacity to incite discord in almost every direction,” Mr Burke said.
“Australia’s national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else.”
Owens began her career as a conservative activist, joining the media company The Daily Wire in 2021, but was fired in March after a public spat with Ben Shapiro over her stance on Israel and questioning of the Holocaust.
She has also associated with Kanye West in the past and refused to denounce him when he famously praised Adolf Hitler in an interview with Alex Jones, and has opposed Black Lives Matter, feminism, vaccines and mass immigration.
Header image: Left, Candace Owens with Donald Trump. Right, Chris Penk (Facebook)
