13 February 2026
Markus Voudouris
[FYI request #33018 email]
DOIA REQ-0024674
Tēnā koe Markus
Thank you for your correspondence of 27 November 2025 to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and
Employment (MBIE) requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), the following:
I am requesting information under the Official Information Act 1982 about the way Immigration New
Zealand (INZ) and MBIE obtain, use, verify, share, store, and retain immigration-status information relating
to Australian citizens, permanent residents, and temporary visa holders. This includes any data used by INZ
to determine eligibility for travel to New Zealand, visa and ETA issuance, and “OK-to-board” decisions.
Please provide all information on when, how, and to what extent New Zealand receives immigration-related
data from the Australian Government, including any real-time status checks, background verification, API
interfaces, data-matching systems, or other automated or manual processes used to confirm a traveller’s
Australian citizenship, permanent residency, temporary visa status. I also request all documents describing
the purpose of these checks, the system architecture, identity-matching logic, and the criteria INZ applies
when interpreting Australian-supplied information.
Please provide copies of current Memoranda of Understanding, inter-agency agreements, protocols, privacy
impact assessments, or internal policy documents that regulate data sharing between MBIE/INZ and
Australian agencies including the Australian Department of Home Affairs, ABF, or the Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade that provides or receives immigration-status information.
I also request all material describing how MBIE and INZ ensure the accuracy, currency, and correctness of
Australian-origin data, including procedures for correcting errors, ensuring data integrity, resolving
conflicting information, and dealing with false matches or misidentification. This includes audits, internal
reviews, risk assessments, and quality-assurance processes. Please also provide information about how
individuals can challenge or correct incorrect data received from Australia.
In addition, I request the retention periods, destruction schedules, metadata retention rules, and disposal
policies for all Australian-derived immigration information, including status checks, verification logs, visa
assessment notes, and any data captured or stored as part of an “OK-to-board” process. Please also include
any documents describing how long this information is held, where it is stored, and under what authorities
it can be disclosed, reused, or matched with other databases.
Finally, I request any briefings, internal emails, meeting minutes, staff guidance, technical memos,
ministerial advice, or internal Q&A notes that explain or discuss New Zealand’s access to Australian
immigration-status data, the operation of these verification systems, or any risks or issues associated with
the use of Australian-supplied information. To minimise the workload, please prioritise current
documentation, and all other records such as emails may be limited to those dated from 1 January 2025 to
the present.
MBIE has assessed and decided to grant your request, and will provide you the requested information.
However, it will take us some time to process. We will send you the information as soon as it is ready and
without undue delay.
Refusals:
Please note that some information will be withheld under the following sections of the Act:
• 6(a) as making this information available would be likely to prejudice the security or defence of
New Zealand or the international relations of the Government of New Zealand.
• 6(c) as making this information available would be likely to prejudice the maintenance of the law,
including the prevention, investigation, and detection of offences, and the right to a fair trial.
• 9(2)(g)(ii)
maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the protection of such Ministers,
members of organisations, officers, and employees from improper pressure or harassment. I do not
consider that the withholding of this information is outweighed by public interest considerations
in making the information available.
Please note that some information will be refused under the following sections of the Act:
• 18(e) that the document alleged to contain the information requested does not exist or, despite
reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be found. In accordance with section 18(B) of the Act, I
have considered whether consulting with you would remove the reason for refusal, however, in
my view it would not.
• 18(f) that the information requested cannot be made available without substantial collation or
research. In accordance with section 18A of the Act, I have considered whether fixing a charge
under section 15 or extending the time limit under section 15A would enable the request to be
granted but it is my view it would not. In accordance with section 18B of the Act, I have
considered whether consulting with you would remove the reason for refusal, however, in my
view it would not as to obtain the information would inevitably involve the manually review each
individual application.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, or if you require any further assistance,
please contac
t [email address]. You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of our decision to extend the
time limit. Information about how to make a complaint is available
at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Emma Atkins
Manager, Ministerial Services
Office of the Deputy Secretary Immigration
Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
