During their investigation of the purchase of a large estate in New Zealand by Peter Thiel, Matt Nippert and Anne Gibson, reporters for The New Zealand Herald, noticed that certain processes required by the Overseas Investment Act had not been followed. The explanation: Peter Thiel is a NZ citizen and hence wasn't required to follow the procedures for an overseas investment.
If Thiel is so sure that Trump will deliver, why does he need a bolt hole and more importantly, citizenship in another country?
One question being asked was why Mr. Thiel became a New Zealander in 2011. Close behind that was how it happened.
If you like New Zealand enough to want to become a citizen, the country's Internal Affairs Department noted on Wednesday, one requirement is "to have been physically in New Zealand for a minimum of 1,350 days in the five years preceding the citizenship application." Another requirement is that you "continue to reside" there after becoming a citizen.
Mr. Thiel, 49, does not appear to have done either.
[...] If Mr. Thiel was not a resident in New Zealand for the necessary amount of time, an exception must have been made. The government has not responded to questions about whether that happened and, if so, what the reason was.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday January 27 2017, @02:44PM
I can't fault the choice of New Zealand. It is gorgeous. The people are friendly. You can ski and surf in the same day. There are millions of sheep if you tend that way.
It's unfortunate that it is so difficult to emigrate there. You have to put down an amount of cash that's prohibitive for all but the wealthiest.
It is mistaken, though, for those like Thiel to think that the place will be a secure bolthole for them. For one thing, if the US falls into chaos there's nothing standing behind them versus the locals, who could very easily decide to confiscate all their money and property 'for the good of the country.' Second, if a regime that eventually emerges after chaos in the US has run its course decides it means to hunt down people like Thiel, there will be no place on Earth where they can hide.
Washington DC delenda est.