New Zealand Traveller Pass, necessary or government overreach?

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David321

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#299409 5-Sep-2022 13:12

Just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on the new-ish New Zealand traveller pass?

To me a small amount of it seems reasonable and similar to the previous cards we used to fill out on the plane, such as what countries you have been in for the last 14 days, but some parts of it seem excessive such as having to take the time to do it while on holiday before you even check in, and waiting for permission to enter your home country and being able to produce the qr code at the airport of departure and arrival in NZ, when all you used to need was a passport.

You either need to print the QR code or keep it on your phone, getting things printed when traveling can be a huge hassle, and do you risk a flat phone battery at the airport thus not being able to show the qr code?

The whole thing seems rather excessive to me and is proving very unpopular from what I have seen, is there any other countries where it is also this restrictive/bureaucratic?

Seems odd (even illegal) that an NZ citizen would need to seek permission to return home prior to boarding their flight?

_David_

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#2963479 5-Sep-2022 13:15

Its an utter waste of time. The only purpose I can see (done it twice now) is that they can email you a request to furnish your post arrival RAT test results. Which you can just make up. I didn't even collect any tests as we have them at home already.

Yes, it is pointless government overreach by MBIE who are way to big for their boots and loving every minute of it.

djtOtago

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#2963482 5-Sep-2022 13:20

I don't have a problem with it. Done a few now.

openmedia

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#2963485 5-Sep-2022 13:27

It would be great if this could replace the arrival card which is also a pain to complete.

A lot of countries require some degree of information in advance and if we can just tweak this platform a little it would be great to see it continue. Also connect it with the persons passport number so the don't need the QR code etc.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

Senecio

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#2963490 5-Sep-2022 13:39

I returned home from Singapore last weekend, really wasn't that much of a hassle. Didn't have to print anything, Singapore Airlines would only issue my electronic boarding pass after I'd uploaded my QR code to their system. Never had to show it after that as it had already been verified digitally.

Kyanar

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#2963499 5-Sep-2022 14:07

Senecio:

I returned home from Singapore last weekend, really wasn't that much of a hassle. Didn't have to print anything, Singapore Airlines would only issue my electronic boarding pass after I'd uploaded my QR code to their system. Never had to show it after that as it had already been verified digitally.

Ironically that's way better than Air New Zealand, who don't have any form of pre-verification for them so you risk Smartgate denying you entry until an immigration official sights it.

Personally I see no point to the whole thing. There's no verification of the answers, and even with the RATs you can just say "I certify that the test is negative" (even if the "positive" line is clear as day).

The reality is that there's so much COVID in New Zealand, and no contact tracing, so does it really matter? Just give people RATs at the airport and the honest people that were going to test themselves and isolate will do so, the dishonest ones who weren't going to anyway won't, but at least neither group of people have to fill in an annoying form that has a greater than 50% chance of not being properly processed anyway and being blocked from entering their own country without queueing up behind the population of an entire A321.

Handle9

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#2963558 5-Sep-2022 17:27

It's more or less the same as many other countries have had during the pandemic. Like most things covid NZ is a bit delayed in getting rid of it but it's certainly no worse than an ESTA.

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johno1234

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#2963600 5-Sep-2022 19:16

openmedia:
It would be great if this could replace the arrival card which is also a pain to complete.

A lot of countries require some degree of information in advance and if we can just tweak this platform a little it would be great to see it continue. Also connect it with the persons passport number so the don't need the QR code etc.

The worst part of the TD is the vaxx detail. 4 lots of vaccine type and date is awkward to find and slow to enter. Worst of all its of no practical use to MBIE who should not be demanding personal medical details.

johno1234

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#2963601 5-Sep-2022 19:18

Handle9:
It's more or less the same as many other countries have had during the pandemic. Like most things covid NZ is a bit delayed in getting rid of it but it's certainly no worse than an ESTA.

You only have to do the ESTA one every two years. You have to do the TD every trip, giving mostly the same details.

Wheelbarrow01

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Chorus

#2963761 6-Sep-2022 01:04

The wife and I are off to Rarotonga in just over a month. Before reading this thread I had no idea about this declaration. I just had a look - "please allow 30 minutes to complete this form".

I can't wait.....

Kyanar

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#2963848 6-Sep-2022 11:53

Handle9:

It's more or less the same as many other countries have had during the pandemic. Like most things covid NZ is a bit delayed in getting rid of it but it's certainly no worse than an ESTA.

An ESTA is a pre-clearance step to travel to a sovereign nation in which one is a visitor with no right of entry, done once every two years. The Traveller Declaration is essentially asking permission to enter a country which I have an inalienable right to enter, every trip, including repeating the same information a number of times and providing medical information to a government department that has no right or need to collect it. It's far worse.

To make it worse, it seems to have emboldened Immigration New Zealand to be far less welcoming and far more invasive. On a recent trip to New Zealand I - a citizen by birth entering with a New Zealand passport - was grilled on my reason for my visit, despite that the official could not lawfully deny me entry. Along with the other 400 passengers all funnelled by the Traveller Declaration into the assistance queues.

wellygary

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#2963854 6-Sep-2022 12:28

Wheelbarrow01:

The wife and I are off to Rarotonga in just over a month. Before reading this thread I had no idea about this declaration. I just had a look - "please allow 30 minutes to complete this form".

I can't wait.....

It might all get swept away next week. so don't worry to much yet..

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boosacnoodle

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#2963855 6-Sep-2022 12:29

Kyanar:

Ironically that's way better than Air New Zealand, who don't have any form of pre-verification for them so you risk Smartgate denying you entry until an immigration official sights it.

This hasn't been my experience the past few times I've travelled. I've only been able to check-in online by uploading the QR code first.

openmedia

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#2963874 6-Sep-2022 14:07

johno1234:
openmedia:

It would be great if this could replace the arrival card which is also a pain to complete.

A lot of countries require some degree of information in advance and if we can just tweak this platform a little it would be great to see it continue. Also connect it with the persons passport number so the don't need the QR code etc.

The worst part of the TD is the vaxx detail. 4 lots of vaccine type and date is awkward to find and slow to enter. Worst of all its of no practical use to MBIE who should not be demanding personal medical details.

All those details are in your My Covid account.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

Handle9

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#2963885 6-Sep-2022 14:51

Kyanar:
Handle9:

It's more or less the same as many other countries have had during the pandemic. Like most things covid NZ is a bit delayed in getting rid of it but it's certainly no worse than an ESTA.

An ESTA is a pre-clearance step to travel to a sovereign nation in which one is a visitor with no right of entry, done once every two years. The Traveller Declaration is essentially asking permission to enter a country which I have an inalienable right to enter, every trip, including repeating the same information a number of times and providing medical information to a government department that has no right or need to collect it. It's far worse.

To make it worse, it seems to have emboldened Immigration New Zealand to be far less welcoming and far more invasive. On a recent trip to New Zealand I - a citizen by birth entering with a New Zealand passport - was grilled on my reason for my visit, despite that the official could not lawfully deny me entry. Along with the other 400 passengers all funnelled by the Traveller Declaration into the assistance queues.

It’s a form. Filling in various forms has been part of travelling for a long time and it’s not unique to Nz. Compared to many of the other pandemic travel annoyances it’s insignificant.

Kyanar

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#2963886 6-Sep-2022 14:53

boosacnoodle:

This hasn't been my experience the past few times I've travelled. I've only been able to check-in online by uploading the QR code first.

This travel was only about three weeks ago - not asked by the airline to provide the QR from the declaration, or in fact proof of vaccination at all (they have a validated My Vaccine Pass as I asked MoH to add all my Australian vaccinations to the NIR but I was under the impression an ICVC was required for international flights).

openmedia:

All those details are in your My Covid account.

Then would it be so hard to offer an option to link those accounts so that the silly system can just ask the NIR "hey, is this person vaccinated?" and get a "yup!" response. Job done. And then maybe, just maybe, also connecting it with the passport number too!

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