Source: Radio New Zealand
A new written test will be required for many people seeking New Zealand citizenship from 2027. 123rf
Explainer – New Zealand has announced would-be citizens will have to pass a test about starting next year. What might that look like and how do other countries do similar tests?
The test on various topics around New Zealand life and government would be required for many applying for citizenship from next year.
“Becoming a New Zealand citizen is a significant milestone in a person’s life and a great honour,” Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden said in announcing the change.
“This change reinforces the value of New Zealand citizenship, and what it means to obtain it.”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Morning Report on Thursday that New Zealand was following similar tests in other nations.
“I just don’t think there’s any harm,” Luxon said of introducing the tests.
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden. RNZ / Mark Papalii
The exact date the test will launch hasn’t been set, but the announcement said late 2027.
While it will be new to New Zealand, tests like this aren’t uncommon – they’re already in use in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States among others.
Here’s what we know so far about citizenship tests and what we can learn from other countries.
Who has to take the test?
If you’re applying for citizenship by grant from late 2027, you’ll have to take it in addition to any other application requirements.
There are three ways to become a citizen – by birth, by descent (being born overseas but having at least one parent who was a NZ citizen when you were born), or by grant – which means you’re a foreign national who has usually been a permanent resident of NZ for at least five years.
Most people who apply by grant will have to take the new test, but there are some exceptions – you don’t have to sit the test if you:
- are under 16 years old
- are aged 65 or over
- have been granted a waiver for the English language requirement for citizenship
- are not of full capacity
- have a severe medical condition that would prevent completing the test
- have unique personal circumstances that would prevent completing the test
- are a New Zealand citizen by descent applying for citizenship by grant
- are applying from overseas but meet the presence requirement – for example, if they live in Niue, the Cook Islands or Tokelau, or are working overseas for the NZ government.
“Exemptions from the test are intended to ensure the approach is proportionate, fair, and in line with approaches taken in comparable countries,” van Velden said.
Van Velden also told RNZ’s Checkpoint there would be no exemptions based on income levels.
How’s test taking going to work?
The test will consist of 20 multiple-choice questions and applicants must get 15 answers, or 75 percent, correct to pass.
The test will be only offered in person, at locations throughout New Zealand.
The aim is not to just have testing spots in main centres, the announcement said. Service accessibility to all will be a key consideration, van Velden said.
“I did consider an online test, however, with rapid development of AI and ability for individuals to have help at home, I considered this a less robust test than an in-person test,” van Velden said.
What’s it going to cost?
There will be a fee to take the test in addition to existing citizenship application fees, but a specific amount hasn’t been chosen yet.
“The cost itself hasn’t been borne out yet,” van Velden told Checkpoint.
The Department of Internal Affairs plans to look for a potential third-party provider to provide the test and the cost would be determined then, she said.
“I do believe it is important that there is a cost to the test because we do want people to study for it, and when there’s a user-pays component … people do take that seriously and if there wasn’t a cost, it is possible that people might sit multiple times without looking at the guidance that DIA provide.”
Currently, applying for citizenship by grant costs $560 for adults and $280 for children aged 15 and under.
If you fail the test, you can take it again but the government says applicants “will likely” have to pay a new fee each time they sit the test.
If you fail to pass the test three times, you have to wait 30 days. You’ll only get six tries in total to pass the test, however, and then you’ll be “provided options” including withdrawing your citizenship application and getting a partial refund of application fees.
What kind of questions will they be asking?
In the announcement, van Velden said the topics will include the Bill of Rights Act, human rights, voting rights and democratic principles, New Zealand’s system of government, some criminal offences and questions about travelling overseas on a New Zealand passport.
Notably, there was no mention of Te Tiriti o Waitangi or Māori tikanga in the announcement.
However, there will be a Treaty of Waitangi question in the test, van Velden confirmed to RNZ.
She said the questions themselves have yet to be decided.
“I won’t go into any particular question itself because we won’t be releasing those, but the questions are revolving around freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of association, the fact that men and women have equal rights, that we have protection from discrimination, that we have free elections … all the things that have made our country good.”
The Department of Internal Affairs is handling the details of how the test will be implemented. There will be guides and other resources ahead of the test introduction to allow people to prepare and pass.
“On balance, it’s very, very similar to what the UK and Australia have been doing for years,” Luxon told RNZ.
“It’s probably not a bad thing to remind people that things like freedom of expression, freedom of speech and women having equal rights, all those kind of things, to have them positively affirmed is probably a good thing.”
Will the test remain even if the government changes before 2027?
Of course, there’s also an election this year, so will that have an impact?
When asked by RNZ if he supported the exam, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said he was open to strengthening citizenship rules, but expressed concern about no mention of the Treaty of Waitangi in the original announcement.
“Do we want those who are gaining New Zealand citizenship to basically be signing up to adhering to New Zealand’s rules and so on? Yes, of course, that’s inherent in the citizenship process, but excluding a big part of our own history from that seems to undermine what they’re trying to do.”
As noted, van Velden has since indicated there will be one question on the Treaty.
How do tests work in other countries?
As mentioned, Australia, the US and UK all have some form of test most applicants for citizenship must take.
“New Zealand has looked at approaches used in comparable countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada when developing the test,” van Velden said.
“This includes elements like the number of questions, passing rates, exemption categories, and delivery approach.”
Sample questions available online in training sites and apps show these tests have a wide spectrum of possible questions would-be citizens might be asked – and perhaps a guidepost for how New Zealand’s test might work.
The test will be required as part of New Zealand citizenship. RNZ / Ziming Li
Australia requires a test and has a 20-question multiple choice exam that asks questions about Australian values and history. A practice test is also available online where questions such as “Who can deliver a Welcome to Country?” and what Anzac Day commemorates can be found.
In the United Kingdom, most applicants must take the “Life in the UK” test with 24 multiple-choice questions about British traditions and customs and show English language proficiency. Practice tests on an unofficial test preparation website ask questions such as who William Shakespeare was and whether pool and darts are traditional pub games, plus somewhat harder questions such as “Who was reigning in England when Wales became formally united with England by the Act for the Government of Wales?” (If you answered Henry VII, you’re correct!)
Over in the United States, a two-part test covering English language skills and civics is required for many applicants. The civics test is conducted as an oral test of 20 questions from a possible 128. Sample questions for that one cover how the three branches of American government work, who wrote the Declaration of Independence and why America entered the Vietnam war.
There’s also a few freebies such as “What is the name of the President of the United States now,” in case the applicant hasn’t been paying attention to, well, anything, the last 10 years or so.
Can you name this man? If so, you might pass a test to become an American citizen. AFP / Mandel Ngan
Sometimes questions on a test can be controversial. For instance, The Washington Post reported many took issue with a question that asked “When did all women get the vote?” The test’s answer was in 1920 – after the US Constitution was amended to allow women to vote – but many pointed out that Black and Native American women voters actually faced barriers to voting for decades after 1920 and the wording of the question to say “all women” was misleading.
It goes to show that the questions – and how they’re phrased, especially around touchy issues – could be a tricky road to navigate in putting together New Zealand’s future citizenship test.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand