14 July 2025
45 Pipitea Street, Wel ington 6011
Phone +64 4 495 7200
dia.govt.nz
Rav
[FYI request #31308 email]
Tēnā koe Rav,
OIA request 24/25 1227 Request for citizenship processing updates and calculator
formula/Algorithm
Thank you for your Official Information Act (Act) request received by the Department of Internal
Affairs (Department) on 14 June 2025.
You requested –
1) What is the formula / algorithm has the online website calculator
(https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdia.services.g
ovt.nz%2Fpresence-
calculator%2F&data=05%7C02%7CRISOfficialCorrespondence%40dia.govt.nz%7C518
96298d49645a88bad08ddac4aa65a%7Cf659ca5cfc474e96b24d14c95df13acb%7C0%
7C0%7C638856158808961625%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiO
nRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%
3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=PbCclDAUie4UoEGvmMyZ%2BCMca4ffDcPbfEJDDXaU%
2B3c%3D&reserved=0) been currently programmed with?
Please provide a copy of it.
2) In previous OIA, the error codes weren't fully elaborated.
So please provide details at which stage of the algorithm is the statusCode 211 (211
Eligible within 3 months <month> <year>) returned and when does it change from
statusCode 216 to 211.
3) Also please release the list of known issues with the calculator accuracy and list of
scenarios which it doesn't currently support so future residents planning to check
eligibility for citizenship are better informed while DIA improves processing times.
4) Also, please release any brief information on timelines of upcoming scheduled
changes for the calculator updates including approximate timelines or roadmaps of
new versions of this calculator currently under development.
5) Also, please release summary reports or briefs specific to Citizenship processing
shared on a scheduled-basis (weekly, monthly) to the Minister from the months of
March, April, May and June (upto the date you start work on this OIA request).
In response to your request, I can provide you with the fol owing information.
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Question one
I can advise this information was previously released and is already publicly available and there
have been no changes since its release on the Department’s website -
www.dia.govt.nz/Official-
Information-Act-Requests-2 via Official Information Act response
2122-0423 .
Therefore, this part of your request is refused pursuant to section 18(d) of the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act), that the information is publicly available.
Question two
I can advise the response code 211 is returned after the citizenship calculator has determined
that an applicant does not meet the physical presence requirement but may do so soon.
If the initial check finds that the applicant has a valid resident visa for the full five-year period,
but has not spent enough days in New Zealand, the calculator wil first return response code
212.
At this point, the calculator automatically moves the application date forward by one day and
repeats the full eligibility check. This process continues day by day.
If, during the process, the calculator automatically finds a date within the next 90 days on which
al citizenship requirements would be met, it returns a response code 211. This means the
applicant is expected to become eligible within 3 months from the original application date. The
applicant should wait until the identified eligibility date before submitting their application.
I can advise that a response code 216 will not progress to response code 211 as response code
216 reflects that the applicant’s most recent resident visa expires prior to the end of the five-
year eligibility window. In such cases, the eligibility calculation cannot proceed further.
As per the guidance on our website
, Citizenship timeframes | New Zealand Government, to help
process citizenship applications as quickly as possible it is recommended applicants meet the
requirements for citizenship when they apply.
Question three
I must advise the Department holds no formal list of known issues or unsupported scenarios.
The citizenship calculator is designed as a general guidance tool and is based on standard
residency requirements. Therefore, I must refuse this portion of your request pursuant to
section 18(g) of the Act, as the information requested is not held by the department or Minister
of the Crown or organisation and the person dealing with the request has no grounds for
believing that the information is either held by another department or Minister of the Crown or
organisation, or by a local authority; or connected more closely with the functions of another
department or Minister of the Crown or organisation or of a local authority.
Question four
I can advise that at this time there are no planned enhancements or version updates scheduled
for the citizenship calculator. Any necessary updates such as bug fixes are addressed as they
arise by our production support team, but these are not part of a formal roadmap or release
schedule
.
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Therefore, I must refuse this portion of your request pursuant to section 18(g) of the Act, as the
information requested is not held by the department or Minister of the Crown or organisation
and the person dealing with the request has no grounds for believing that the information is
either held by another department or Minister of the Crown or organisation, or by a local
authority; or connected more closely with the functions of another department or Minister of
the Crown or organisation or of a local authority.
Question five
I refer you to Appendix A attached alongside this letter. Appendix A provides you with copies of
the monthly scheduled briefings provided to the Minister of Internal Affairs.
These are released with some information withheld under section 9(2)(a) of the Act, the
withholding of the information is necessary to protect the privacy of natural persons, including
that of deceased natural persons.
Under section 9(1) of the Act, I have considered if the reasons for withholding the information
are outweighed by other considerations, which render it desirable, in the public interest, to
make that information available. I have not identified any public interest that outweighs the
need to withhold the information.
Please be aware that these briefings update the Minister on al the life and identity products
and services the Department provides – not just citizenship by grant. As such, much of the
content of the briefings fal s outside the scope of your request and has been omitted from the
documents. Any information of this nature has been marked as ‘out of scope’.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, the Department has
decided to proactively release a copy of this response on the DIA website. Al requestor data,
including your name and contact details, will be removed prior to release. The released
response will be made available here
: https://www.dia.govt.nz/Official-Information-Act-
Requests-2.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi
Julia Taylor
Manager Operational Policy and Official Correspondence
Regulatory and Identity Services
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