Dear Department of Internal Affairs,

As per OIA request 25/26-0726 – 86 applicants in the Timaru district waiting to be allocated a citizenship ceremony, the oldest application dated 13 Oct 2025. Next ceremony in Timaru was scheduled for May 2026.
This reflects an approximate seven-month or longer wait times for applicants in smaller districts such as Timaru.
As per OIA request 25/26-0890 - oldest application waiting to be allocated a ceremony in Auckland was dated 12 Mar 2025. Suggests that Auckland-based candidates become citizens around five months or earlier than applicants in smaller districts.
As per OIA request 25/26-0877 – Average wait time to attend citizenship ceremony in Wellington is 53-days.
Applicants across all districts have made equal contributions to New Zealand. However, the significantly longer wait times in small districts results in unequitable outcome and is disadvantaging applicants based on location rather than merit.
OIA request 25/26-0835 acknowledges that the Department is aware of the longer than usual wait times in smaller districts. It states that Department is working local councils to support additional ceremonies. And that the councils are responsible for selecting ceremony dates and are provided with regular updates from the Department on their waitlist.
Despite this, some councils still are planning limited number of ceremonies. For example, Timaru Council published its 2026 citizenship ceremony calendar on 13 Jan 2026, listing only four ceremonies for the year, with no indication & intention of additional events, despite the exceptionally long wait times.
Questions 1 – What success has the department had in encouraging smaller councils to arrange more frequent and/or larger sized ceremonies?
Question 2 – If councils are unable or unwilling to increase ceremony frequency or capacity, what alternative strategies does the Department have to ensure timely citizenship ceremonies for affected applicants?
The following clauses from the Citizenship Act 1977 are reproduced exactly as written:
Section 11 - Minister may require oath or affirmation of allegiance to be taken
(1) The Minister may, in such case or class of cases as the Minister thinks fit, make the grant of New Zealand citizenship conditional upon the applicant taking an oath of allegiance in the form specified in Schedule 1, or making an affirmation to similar effect.
(2) Unless the Minister agrees otherwise, the oath or affirmation must be taken or made at a public citizenship ceremony.
Section 12 - Certificate of New Zealand citizenship
(1) Where the Minister authorises the grant of New Zealand citizenship to any person, the Secretary shall issue to that person a certificate of New Zealand citizenship in the prescribed form.
(2) A person to whom a certificate of New Zealand citizenship is issued under subsection shall be a New Zealand citizen as from the specified date.
(3) Where a certificate of New Zealand citizenship is issued to a person who is a New Zealand citizen by descent, he shall cease to have that status as from the specified date.
(4) For the purposes of subsections (2) and (3) the specified date shall be—
(a) in the case of a person required under section 11 to take an oath of allegiance, the date on which he takes that oath or makes an affirmation to the same effect:
(b) in every other case, the date specified in the certificate.
Quesiton#3: Sections 11 and 12 from The Citizenship Act 1977 do not require an applicant to attend a ceremony in their district of residence. They require attendance at any public citizenship ceremony where oath or affirmation is administered. Historically, applicants could attend ceremonies in other districts, where spaces were available, provided they were willing to travel. Under what Act or Regulation is Department now declining requests from applicants to attend ceremonies in other districts, particularly when wait times in small districts massively exceed those in larger districts?

Yours faithfully,

Eddie J