Peter Thiel got a New Zealand passport despite having no plan to live there

Peter Thiel got a New Zealand passport despite having no plan to live there

Posted by John P. Bradford // February 2, 2017

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President Donald Trump’s man in Silicon Valley, Peter Thiel has options should his current political experiment not work out.

In January, the New Zealand Herald uncovered that the infamous venture capitalist had been a New Zealand citizen since 2011, raising eyebrows around the world. Just how Thiel obtained the passport was revealed Wednesday, after the government released an 145-page file on the matter.

Thiel became a New Zealand citizen at a private consular ceremony in Santa Monica, the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) told Mashable.

In his application, Thiel, a U.S. citizen born in Germany, argued that he should be granted citizenship thanks to his “exceptional circumstances.” Particularly, that he would use his entrepreneurial skills and networks to promote New Zealand’s business interests.

Now said to be worth $2.7 billion, Thiel touted his local investments and his plans to become “an active player in New Zealand’s venture capital industry.”

In Thiel’s personal application letter, he wrote that “it would give me great pride to let it be known that I am a New Zealand citizen.” That fact only became known widely in 2017, and he is yet to address it publicly.

“I am happy to say categorically that I have found no other country that aligns more with my view of the future than New Zealand,” he declared.

Thiel’s citizenship application was supported by a number of local entrepreneurs, including Rod Drury, the CEO of accounting software company Xero. In 2010, Thiel invested NZ$4 million ($2,906,460) in Drury’s company the same year Drury wrote his supporting note.

In a statement, Drury told Mashable he appreciated Thiel’s “contribution” to Xero and New Zealand. “Xero, alongside several other NZ companies have benefitted from Peter’s participation in multiple funding events, advice and access to networks,” he said.

Thiel’s citizenship has raised concerns in the country about wealthy individuals being able to “buy” passports.

The Facebook board member also donated NZ$1 million ($726,615) to the Christchurch earthquake relief fund in 2011, as noted in the dossier.

Thiel also cited other philanthropy, including that he supports the Committee to Protect Journalists (from “reprisals”) via the Thiel Foundation. In 2016, Thiel was revealed as the secret backer of a lawsuit against U.S. media outlet Gawker, which eventually drove it into bankruptcy.

Supporting documents included press releases about Thiel’s participation in an Auckland ideas conference, media interviews with the investor mentioning his love for the country, and articles about his local investments.

The Department of Internal Affairs ultimately recommended the application be approved, and that advice was acted upon by then-Internal Affairs Minister Nathan Guy.

Thiel obtained the passport thanks to a special government grant, despite never having lived in the country and without having any plans to do so. Typically, a person is required to spend at least 70 percent of their time in New Zealand over five years to become a citizen. He did, however, own property there.

Thiel’s citizenship has raised concerns in the country about wealthy individuals being able to “buy” passports.

Iain Lees-Galloway, the Labour spokesperson for immigration, first posed questions in parliament regarding the circumstances of Thiel’s citizenship. “Certainly, if it were the case that people who had supported Mr. Trump were now looking to buy themselves some insurance in New Zealand, that would be somewhat hypocritical,” Lees-Galloway told Mashable at the time.

Noting that Thiel never lived in New Zealand, had no intention of living in New Zealand and didn’t even come to New Zealand to receive his citizenship, Lees-Galloway said Wednesday that the decision to grant him a passport was “all about money.”

“While it is obvious what Mr Thiel has gained the right to purchase a large, iconic, estate in the South Island it is unclear what New Zealand has gained,” he told Mashable in an email.

Guy told Mashable he believed his 2011 decision as Internal Affairs Minister to approve the application was the right one. Thiel has been “a fantastic ambassador and salesperson for New Zealand,” he said. “He’s made an outstanding contribution, particularly with his venture fund.”

Thiel has been one of Trump’s most vocal supporters, despite the president’s policies setting him on collision course with the technology industry. Only this week, the CEOs of companies from Facebook to Netflix condemned Trump’s broad ban on immigration from majority-Muslim countries.

“Peter doesn’t support a religious test, and the administration has not imposed one,” a Thiel spokesperson told Forbes.

Representatives of Peter Thiel have been contacted by Mashable for comment.

UPDATE: Feb. 2, 2017, 9:10 a.m. AEDT Comments added from Nathan Guy.

Read more: http://mashable.com/2017/02/01/peter-thiel-new-zealand-citizenship/