WELLINGTON
The Customhouse, 1 Hinemoa Street, Wellington
PO Box 2218, Wellington 6140
Phone: 04 901 4500 Fax: 04 901 4555 All general enquiries phone: 0800 428 786
Email: [email address] Website: www.customs.govt.nz
17 November 2022
Ref: OIA 22-217
R S Grant
By email:
[FYI request #20776 email] Tēnā koe R S Grant
Request for information under the Official Information Act 1982
Thank you for your email dated 6 October 2022 to Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall, the Minister for
COVID-19 Response, which was transferred in part to the New Zealand Customs Service
(Customs) on 19 October 2022 for response. You request the following information under the
Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):
“1. How many individual NZ Traveller declarations have been received by
the Government since the requirement was introduced? If easier, I would be
happy with a directionally correct estimate rather than an exact number.”
The New Zealand Traveller Declaration system went live on 25 March 2022. As of 20 October
2022, air travellers departing for New Zealand are no longer required to complete a New
Zealand Traveller Declaration.
In response to your request, I can advise that between 4 February 2022 (when the first pilot
for the New Zealand Traveller Declaration started) and 19 October 2022:
2,171,504 Traveller Declarations were started
1,868,990 Traveller Declarations were submitted
1,841,364 Traveller Passes were issued.
There are a number of reasons why a person may start a Traveller Declaration but not
complete it, for example, they cancel their travel plans. A Traveller Pass will not be issued
(that is, turned back) if a person is ineligible to travel to New Zealand based on the information
and evidence they have provided. A Traveller Declaration will be returned to the traveller for
further information if there is an issue or error with the information provided, for example, if a
document submitted was blurry or illegible.
Only records where a Traveller Pass was issued were passed over to the Ministry of Health
(for contact tracing purposes if required). Some travellers completed more than one Traveller
Declaration for the same flight.
If you have any queries in regard to this response, please contact the Correspondence,
Reviews and Ministerial Servicing Team:
[email address].
Please note that Customs proactively releases responses to Official Information Act requests
on our website. As such, we may publish this response on our website after we have sent it to
you. Your name and contact details will be removed.
Nāku noa, nā
Mathew Black
Programme Director, New Zealand Traveller Declaration