16 October 2023

Message from the General Manager

Tēnā koe – hello.

The interim Whiriwhiria (Choice) video is now available for download below. Use this version until a message can be recorded from the new Minister of Internal Affairs. The old video link will shortly be deleted.

The approval letter to candidates now lets them know that there is the option of taking the oath and affirmation of allegiance in te reo Māori. Please ensure your tima are prepared for more candidates taking up this option.

Take care confirming who attended the ceremony as errors can cause stress to the candidate, especially if they cannot re-enter Aotearoa.

Julia Wootton
General Manager
Services and Access

Occasionally we are still asked for copies of the Choice book. While stock of the hardcopy has run out, a digital copy can still be downloaded or linked into emails you send candidates.

Kia pai tō rā (Have a good day)
Julia

New interim Choice Whiriwhiria video

Please start using the new version of the Choice Whiriwhiria video that only has a message from Dame Cindy Kiro, the Governor-General of New Zealand. Use the interim version until a message can be recorded from the new Minister of Internal Affairs.

The new Choice Whiriwhiria video is available for download at www.psi.govt.nz/home/guidance/guidance-for-citizenship-ceremonies under the heading "Choice Whiriwhiria video". This special video has been developed for councils to welcome new citizens. For your convenience, here are the brand new links that replace the old:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/jlNOfBiKQgE
MP4 file for download: www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/Files/Choice-NZ-Citizenship-2023/$file/NZ-Citizenship-2023.mp4 (468 MB) . Click on the link and allow a minute or so for the file to download as it is a large file. Once downloaded, go to your desktops "Download" folder to access the MP4 file. If you encounter issues contact CitizenshipCeremonies@dia.govt.nz.

New MOU sent to councils soon

Most of you will find that the memorandum of understanding (MOU) ends soon between your council and the Department of Internal Affairs on the hosting of citizenship ceremonies.

Over the next couple of months a new MOU will be sent for your review and signing.

The main differences in the new MOU are:

an increase in the fee per invited candidate,
an automatic annual fee change in line with the consumers price index (CPI), and
the MOU will be open ended, so it will not have an end date.

Confirming attendance

Double-check they attended

Be very careful when you scan the certificates of the candidates that didn’t attend the ceremony. We use this information to record who became a citizen, and who did not. We invite those who didn’t attend, to another ceremony.

If the council accidently fails to scan the certificate of someone who did not attend the ceremony, we record that person as having become a citizen. This can cause severe consequences for the candidate and their whanau: their residence visa will be cancelled and if they travel overseas, they will be refused re-entry into Aotearoa. If they were issued a New Zealand passport in error, that will also be cancelled.

In addition, they will not be invited to another ceremony because the Department's records show they have already attended a ceremony. If a person does not attend a ceremony within 12 months of approval, the approval will lapse and they have to apply for citizenship again.

Return ASAP

New citizens are often keen to apply for their first New Zealand Passport. Please return the scans of certificates for those that did not attend the ceremony as soon as you reasonably can after the ceremony, so we can update our systems. This is even more important if candidates have urgent travel.

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