19 March 2026
45 Pipitea Street, Wel ington 6011
Phone +64 4 495 7200
dia.govt.nz
Ed Hirsch
fyi-request-33782-
[email address]
Tēnā koe Ed,
OIA request 25/26 0877 Request for information about citizenship ceremonies in Wel ington
2026
Thank you for your Official Information Act (Act) request received by the Department of Internal
Affairs (Department) on 19 February 2026.
You requested –
1. The planned dates and months for citizenship ceremonies scheduled to take place in
Wel ington during 2026.
2. The current number of individuals (as of today) who have been approved for citizenship
but have not yet been assigned to a citizenship ceremony in Wel ington.
3. The total capacity of each forthcoming citizenship ceremony and how many spare spaces
are currently available in each.
4. The oldest citizenship approval date for applicants in wel ington who are stil awaiting
assignment to a citizenship ceremony.
5. The current average wait time for someone in Wel ington to be assigned to a ceremony
In response to your request, I can provide you with the fol owing information.
Questions one
I can advise that the fol owing 2026 ceremony dates have been confirmed so far:
• 23 March 2026 – 5:30pm
• 23 March 2026 – 7:00pm
• 20 April 2026 – 5:30pm
• 20 April 2026 – 7:00pm
Further citizenship ceremony dates for 2026 wil be announced by Wel ington City Council once
confirmed.
I note, citizenship ceremony information is available on the Wel ington City Council website:
https://wel ington.govt.nz/your-council/about-the-council/mayor-and-councillors/office-of-the-
mayor/citizenship-ceremonies
Question two
I can advise as of the 24 February 2026, 24 people in Wellington have been approved for
citizenship but have not yet been assigned to a citizenship ceremony.
These individuals cannot attend the currently scheduled citizenship ceremonies for various
reasons
.
Question three
The confirmed ceremony sessions and their current allocation status are:
Ceremony Date and Capacity
Al ocated
Spaces Available
Time
23 March, 5.30pm
125
125
0
23 March, 7.00pm
125
123
2
20 April, 5.30pm
125
4
121
20 April, 7.00pm
125
88
37
Please note that not al people who have been al ocated to a ceremony have yet been sent their
formal invitation.
Question four
I can advise the person who has been waiting the longest for assignment to a citizenship
ceremony in Wel ington was approved on 10 July 2025. The individual has been unable to
attend ceremonies to date.
Question five
I can advise that the current average wait time for the 24 people awaiting assignment to a
citizenship ceremony is 53 days.
This reflects the specific individuals currently unassigned and may vary depending on citizenship
ceremony availability and individual circumstances.
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.
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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.
Nāku noa, nā
Julia Taylor
Director Branch Performance
Regulatory and Identity Services
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