After 47 years of living in New Zealand, a Whangarei man only recently learned he is not a citizen when his employer terminated his contract due to his "immigration status".
Graeme Watson - who went to school here, got married, obtained driving and gun licences, became a registered counsellor and worked in Government-provided health services - said he might joke about being a "nobody", a stateless person in his own country, but "it's a bloody nightmare".
He arrived on a Scottish parent's passport in the late 1960s and, as he had never left New Zealand, never applied for a passport.
Two months ago Mr Watson lost his job because of his "immigration status" , after being employed with a private mental health provider for only five weeks. He was paid for only two of those weeks; the nationwide company telling him his outstanding wages were frozen because he may have worked "illegally", he said. Before then he had worked for more than four years with Northland District Health Board.
He was able to get Work and Income support after losing his new job nearly two months ago but is experiencing hardship and is trying to access his Kiwisaver funds. To do that, Inland Revenue requires proof of his work status.