Government documents show the PayPal mogul has not met the residency requirements – but he has donated $1m to Christchurch earthquake relief 
 
 Peter Thiel, the billionaire co-founder of Paypal, was granted New Zealand citizenship despite not meeting the usual requirements, new documents have revealed. 
 
 Details of Thiel’s application have been released which show that he was granted citizenship due to his “exceptional circumstances” and because it was believed to be in the public interest. 
 
 Thiel, who was one of the first investors in Facebook and is now an adviser to Donald Trump, was revealed last week to have been granted New Zealand citizenship. It also emerged that he has multiple million-dollar properties in New Zealand. 
 
 Donald Trump, Peter Thiel and the death of democracy Read more 
 
 The revelation came as a surprise to New Zealanders and public pressure has forced the release of 145 pages of documents by the country’s internal affairs department. 
 
 They show that Thiel, who was born in Germany, was granted citizenship despite not residing in the country for the prescribed 1,350 days, or having any intention to live in New Zealand on a permanent basis in the future. The formal citizenship process took place in a private ceremony in Santa Monica in 2011. 
 
 The documents said Thiel’s “exceptional circumstances” related to “his skills as an entrepreneur and his philanthropy”, which were deemed to be of potential benefit to New Zealanders and the country. 
 
 
 
 As part of his application, Thiel wrote: “I have studied extensively New Zealand’s entrepreneurial environment, the current venture capital market and the prerequisites for, and economic advantages of, developing successful technology companies in a New Zealand context … I have concluded that the New Zealand government supports capital expansion, scientific research and international investment. 
 
 “All of these traits make New Zealand a great place to a start a business. It is a stable country with one of the highest ratings in the world for honesty and a non-corrupt culture, and it offers long term entrepreneurial opportunities in technology development. 
 
 “As part of my study into how I could contribute to the existing entrepreneurial environment and further development of the venture capital market in New Zealand I have consulted with a variety of New Zealand political leaders, including meeting prime minister John Key, deputy prime minister Bill English and minister of economic development Gerry Brownlee.” 
 
 His business investments in New Zealand were also noted, including those in the companies Xero and Pacific Fibre Limited, as well as his intention to start a “technology incubator” in Auckland and use his San Francisco connections to provide US introductions for New Zealand businesses. 
 
 
 
 Sam Morgan (@samfromwgtn) Don’t think there is any debate about whether Peter has added value to New Zealand. 
 
 Sam Morgan (@samfromwgtn) Xero employs over 1500 people. Without Peter Thiel’s investment, that might never have happened, for example. 
 
 He added that although he did not live in his Auckland home or have any immediate plans to, it was almost permanently inhabited by his staff. 
 
 The documents said that Thiel demonstrated his philanthropic side by donating NZ$1m to the Christchurch earthquake relief fund. 
 
 According to Forbes magazine Thiel is worth $3.7bn and it was believed that his becoming a New Zealand citizen would help New Zealand entrepreneurs and enterprises be promoted on the world stage. 
 
 
 
 One of the requirements for New Zealand citizenship is that that applicant should be resident in the country for a majority of the time over a five-year period, and plan to reside in the country after citizenship, or work for a New Zealand company overseas. 
 
 
 
 Thiel did not meet either of these requirements as he had only visited the country on half a dozen occasions, and had no plans to permanently reside there, despite owning properties in Parnell and Queenstown. 
 
 
 
 Thiel’s application was supported by letters from a number of prominent New Zealand businessman, including Xero founder Rod Drury and Trade Me founder Sam Morgan. 
 
 Iain Lees-Galloway, Labour immigration spokesperson, queried Thiel’s citizenship process. 
 
 “The Government chose the day it announced the General Election date to finally release detail on theThiel decision, but it simply raises even more serious questions as to why a New Zealand passport needed to be granted to a wealthy foreign businessman who does not live here. 
 
 
 
 “Peter Thiel now has a New Zealand passport and still has not lived here. He didn’t even attend his New Zealand citizenship ceremony in this country, but stayed in the United States. 
 
 “It’s not clear what value New Zealand is getting from granting Mr Thiel citizenship over residency.” 

 FILE - In this July 21, 2016, file photo, entrepreneur Peter Thiel speaks during the final day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Thiel was able to gain New Zealand citizenship in 2011... (Associated Press) 
 
 WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Silicon Valley billionaire and President Donald Trump adviser Peter Thiel was able to gain New Zealand citizenship in 2011 despite never having lived in the country, because a top lawmaker decided his entrepreneurial skills and philanthropy were valuable to the nation, documents reveal. 
 
 Thiel didn't even have to leave California to become a new member of the South Pacific nation. He was granted citizenship during a private ceremony held at the New Zealand Consulate in Santa Monica. 
 
 The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs on Wednesday released 145 pages of partially redacted documents detailing how Thiel became a citizen. 
 
 His status was first reported by The New Zealand Herald newspaper last month and raised questions because Thiel didn't fulfil the usual criteria requiring people to live in the country. 
 
 In his application, Thiel wrote that he owned a home in New Zealand but if he was granted citizenship, he would need to continue residing in the U.S. to manage his California-based companies. 
 
 He said he realized his circumstances wouldn't usually qualify him for citizenship, but that he believed he was an exception. 
 
 "In the course of pursing my international business opportunities, my travel, personal philosophical commitments and benefaction, 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 wrote. 
 
 He said that as part of his study into how he could contribute to the local entrepreneurial environment, he had consulted with John Key, who was New Zealand's prime minister at the time. 
 
 Thiel wrote that "it would give me great pride to let it be known that I am a New Zealand citizen." 
 
 Thiel didn't immediately respond to requests made Wednesday for additional comment. 
 
 However, Thiel's citizenship status only became publicly known following last month's newspaper report. The 2011 documents show that Thiel also remained a citizen of Germany, where he was born. 
 
 Thiel, 49, co-founded PayPal and was the first professional investor in Facebook. He secretly bankrolled a lawsuit against the news and gossip site Gawker which led to its bankruptcy and closure. Forbes estimates his net worth at $2.7 billion, which makes him one of New Zealand's wealthiest citizens. 
 
 He has been an important adviser to Trump, who has vowed to put "America first." 
 
 When considering Thiel's application, New Zealand officials noted that he had established a venture capital fund in New Zealand which had invested in a Wellington-based online accounting business, Xero. 
 
 "Mr. Thiel has demonstrated his philanthropy through making a million-dollar donation to the Christchurch earthquake relief fund," officials wrote as part of a letter recommending his application be approved. 
 
 His citizenship was granted through a special approval by lawmaker Nathan Guy, who at the time was the Internal Affairs minister. 
 
 Opposition lawmaker Iain Lees-Galloway tweeted Wednesday that the decision was "entirely about money" and that citizenship shouldn't be for sale. 
 
 Government figures show that over the past five years, New Zealand has received about 150,000 citizenship applications, with 92 receiving special approval by the minister after taking into account exceptional circumstances.
– Trump adviser. Tech billionaire. Gawker killer. Lord of the Rings fan? The New York Times reports Peter Thiel was granted New Zealand citizenship back in 2011 despite not meeting any of the requirements for citizenship. Now at least one New Zealand politician is accusing Thiel of buying his citizenship. In his citizenship application—made public by the New Zealand government under pressure Tuesday—Thiel said "it would give me great pride" to let the world know he's a New Zealand citizen, according to the AP. Yet Thiel's New Zealand citizenship wasn't revealed until last week, and he's declining to comment on it. Thiel, who also has citizenship in Germany and the US, was the only major tech figure to support President Trump's executive order on immigration. In order to become a New Zealand citizen, applicants are required to live in the country for most of five-year period, plan on living there after gaining citizenship, or work for a New Zealand company abroad, the Guardian reports. Thiel didn't satisfy any of those requirements, having only visited the country a few times and receiving his citizenship at a ceremony in California. He did however invest in a number of New Zealand companies and tout the country as a "great place to start a business." His application was granted by the former minister of Internal Affairs under "exceptional circumstances," which included Thiel's "skills as an entrepreneur." But one New Zealand politician says citizenship was granted "entirely based on money." (Tech billionaires are buying land in New Zealand in preparation for the apocalypse.)