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December 2019 | Read a plain text version of this newsletter
Message from the Registrar-General
Tēnā koe – hello.
With the holidays right around the corner, I wanted to thank you for your valuable contribution during 2019. I hope you have a safe and happy Christmas and New Year.
Recently, we kicked off a social media campaign to encourage people to apply online for NZ citizenship.
Find out how a kereru and flamingo are involved below.
Kia pai tō rā (Have a good day)
Jeff
Jeff Montgomery,
General Manager and Registrar-General;
Services and Access
Tēnā koutou to all our wonderful council representatives,
We wanted to take an opportunity to thank you all for your dedicated mahi this year.
We strive to give our best back to our newest citizens, but we can’t do it without you! You have all been so easy to work with and patient amidst all the shuffling around, so we want to acknowledge this deeply. Particularly from Losa – who started in January this year – and Sarah – who started in November 2018, and took over Emily in May – we have both really appreciated your support as we have transitioned into these roles. Ngā mihi!
Also, we are pleased to report that the three of us will be sticking around for the New Year, so here’s to another year with the three of us (and the beginning of a new decade!!!)
Our shut down period is from Friday 20th December, and we will all officially be back on the 6th January 2020.
For those who provide ceremony dates in advance, we are already beginning to book in February and March. If you haven’t already, it would be very helpful to provide us with a couple of ceremony dates to kick-start 2020. We will keep in touch as our new system is due for release in the first few months of the year (when we will start to use it!) and inform you as we navigate our way through this new experience.
Meri Kirihimete me te Hape Nū la ki ngā iwi me ngā hapū katoa (Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year).
From the Ceremonies Team – Sarah, Losa and Jason.
Social media campaign
We’re pleased to share that our Citizenship by Grant social media campaign has kicked off.
Our campaign follows a conversation between two unlikely co-workers in the office as they discuss the benefits of applying for Citizenship by Grant online versus on paper.
The kereru is our New Zealand citizen. She is very much settled into a groove of cutting-edge-convenience, and never shies away from sharing her knowledge with others - even those who may not have asked for it.
Our flamingo is not from around here, but absolutely loves New Zealand and wants to call it his country. He’s in the process of making his re-location a little more permanent but hasn’t yet been introduced to the convenience of applying online.
There will be a mixture of static and animated posts advertised/boosted on DIA’s social media between now and January. Keep your eyes to the sky – we hope you find it as emu-sing as we do.
Online applications awaiting ministerial approval or approved as of 10 December
As you know, our new online service for adult Citizenship by Grant customers has been operating since October.
We will begin scheduling online customers into ceremonies when our new ceremonies system is launched, which is planned for mid/late February.
In the meantime, some customers (those whose applications we have in the system and who applied on paper) will continue to be processed in our old system. Some customers will continue to be scheduled for ceremonies in February and March, but fewer than usual.
Once the new system comes online in February you are likely to see a spike in customers ready to be scheduled for a ceremonies taking place April and May.
We have provided information below about the numbers we have on hand so far who are due to be scheduled for April/May ceremonies, and will continue to update you on these numbers each month, to help you plan for ceremonies in your area. The next update will be in late January.
This information is based upon the town/city in the residential address of the customer. At this stage we are unable to provide this information based on the local authority.
Last week, 27% of all Citizenship by Grant applications (including children and applications under the Western Samoa Act) were completed through our new online service at www.govt.nz/citizenship.
Questions about changes to citizenship ceremonies?
Do you have questions about the changes to citizenship ceremonies next year? For instance, we are changing the way invitations are sent to candidates - see Choice newsletter issued in October.
If you have any questions please email Vaughan.Millar@dia.govt.nz.
News of interest
Forever home - Why immigrants chose New Zealand
Now We Are (Five) Million - Three in 10 people living here were born overseas. But why do they come, and can New Zealand continue to attract skilled migrants in the face of increased global competition? Insight’s Philippa Tolley investigates.
