nzten.com represents a rapidly growing group of New Zealanders, who would like to see a review on New Zealand passport validity, we would like to see the ten-year adult passport being reintroduced to New Zealand passport holders.

Most of New Zealand’s trading partners, including Australia, the United States of America, China, the United Kingdom, and most OECD nations throughout the world, issue their citizens with ten-year passports. Over past eight years the Canadian Government, has consulted extensively with their public on passport validity. In July 2013 Canada increased their passport validity, from five years to a ten-year biometric passport. By introducing ten-year passports Canada joined four other nations, of the Five Nations Passport Group, consisting of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, who issue citizens with ten-year passports. New Zealand is the last remaining country in this group to deny its citizens a ten-year passport.

Our group has expressed frustration regarding the short five year term of a New Zealand passport, it is especially frustrating, and expensive, for those living abroad where residency visas must be updated every five years. It is also expensive for families to keep updating their passports every five years. We have found that many dual citizens, have given up renewing their New Zealand passports because of the short five year validity term.

When 5 year passports were first introduced by Labour, The National Party stated:



"National is yet to be convinced, that the benefit of reduction in the validity of passports from 10 to 5 years, will outweigh the burden on New Zealanders to renew their passports. To keep up with the latest technological advances alone would not eliminate fraud, which will occur - and international cooperation will minimise that occurring"

Interestingly the Hon Phil Goff, Labour, Opposition spokesperson for Foreign Affairs stated in his letter to us on 1 August 2013:



"Thanks for your letter on five year passports. These were introduced as a security measure as the aftermath of terrorist attacks around the world. With modern biometric security measures, I believe it is time to restore the ten year passport, reducing significant costs that regular renewal places on Kiwi travellers".



If senior members of the party that introduced 5 year passports, think that 10 year passports should be reinstated, and if most OECD nations throughout the world issue 10 year passports, why can't New Zealand?