Opposition politicians raise questions about why the billionaire’s motion was swiftly approved at a time when others were turned down amid a pandemic.
Google co-founder Larry Page has been given New Zealand residency, officials confirmed and fueled the debate over whether extremely wealthy people can essentially buy access to South Pacific land.
Immigration New Zealand said Page first applied for a residence permit in November under a special visa that was open to those with at least 10 million New Zealand dollars ($ 7 million) for investment.
“Since he was abroad at the time, his application could not be processed due to COVID-19 restrictions,” said the authority on Friday. “After Mr. Page entered New Zealand, his application was processed and approved on February 4, 2021.”
New Zealand politicians confirmed that Page and his son first came to New Zealand in January after the family filed an urgent request to evacuate their son from Fiji because of a medical emergency.
“The day after the application was received, a New Zealand ambulance with a New Zealand intensive care nurse evacuated the child and an adult family member from Fiji to New Zealand,” Health Minister Andrew Little told the legislature in Parliament.
Little responded to questions about how Page had managed to enter the country when New Zealand closed its borders to non-residents to try to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Little told politicians that the family adhered to applicable virus protocols upon arrival.
Page’s residency application was approved about three weeks later.
Obtaining New Zealand residency would not necessarily affect Page’s residency status in the United States or any other nation.
Immigration New Zealand found that, although Page had become a resident, it had no permanent residency status and was subject to certain restrictions.
Still, the agency touts the “Investor Plus” visa on its website as an offer of a “New Zealand lifestyle” and adds that “you may be able to bring your car, boat and household items to New Zealand duty free”.
Some local news outlets reported that Page has since left New Zealand.
There was no immediate comment from Google.
Forbes ranked Page the sixth richest person in the world with a net worth of $ 117 billion on Friday. Forbes noted that Page had resigned as chief executive of Google’s parent company Alphabet in 2019, but remained a board member and majority shareholder.
Opposition officials said the episode raised questions about why Page was approved so quickly when many skilled workers or separated family members desperate to enter New Zealand were turned away.
“The government is sending a message that money is more important than doctors, fruit pickers and families separated from their children,” ACT vice chairwoman Brooke van Velden said in a statement.
In 2017, it emerged that Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel had been able to obtain New Zealand citizenship six years earlier, even though he had never lived in the country. Thiel was approved after a top politician decided that his entrepreneurial skills and philanthropy were valuable to the nation.
Thiel didn’t even have to leave California for the ceremony – he was granted citizenship during a private ceremony at the New Zealand consulate in Santa Monica.
