We trialled the new digital way of entering NZ — it was frustrating

Brook Sabin is a Stuff Travel reporter, and previously worked in the Press Gallery.

OPINION: “We’re sorry, but your submission has timed out.”

Welcome to the new way of entering New Zealand. Seven emails and two verification codes later I got there. A warning, it could be a little frustrating if your experience is anything like mine.

The Government has decided it wants to digitise the passenger arrival card used to enter New Zealand, and I was randomly asked to trial it on a flight home.

So, what’s happening here? You know those paper cards you fill in on the plane that you present to Customs when arriving off an international flight? Well, soon you’re going to need to fill them out on a phone or computer, with the new system rolling out from July.

It’s called the New Zealand Traveller Declaration, and it’s similar to the digital form introduced during Covid (which I was not a fan of at the time).

Now, the form is back in a new iteration and some passengers flying into Wellington and Christchurch are being asked to trial it before it rolls out to the wider public later this year.

How does it work?

Before entering New Zealand, you’ll need to head to the New Zealand Traveller Declaration website, register, then fill out the form. It should take around 10 minutes. I was in Sydney visiting the Vivid light show, and after returning to my hotel at midnight, I realised that I hadn’t done my declaration before I needed to leave for the airport at 6am the next morning. Being confronted with Government bureaucracy at midnight doesn’t put you in a great mood.

So, I decided to do it at the airport in the morning. The trouble is, I ran out of time at the airport so – thanks to Air New Zealand’s in-flight wi-fi – I decided to do it in the plane at the same time the rest of the passengers got their traditional paper cards.

As soon as my partner got her card, we both started at the same time. She was done without any fuss in four minutes. I, on the other hand, had entered a digital tailspin.

The trouble started soon after registering, where you need to search and select your flight. Every time I did this, I got a time-out message.

I tried repeatedly to fix it – I’m a technology geek and don’t give up easily – but ended up having to exit my application. To get back in, you need to retrieve your reference number from your emails, copy it across to the form, and then head back to your emails for a verification code which you have to copy across. I have an older relative who struggles to push the green button to answer a phone call. This process would be impossible for them.

After the verification process, I tried again to continue my form but was greeted with the time out message in the exact same place, again. The wi-fi was working well on the plane, and I wasn’t taking a long time – so the time out message didn’t make sense.

I turned my phone off and on, then went through the verification process again, and finally, it let me through. From then on, the form was simple.

While it took my partner just 4 minutes on paper, it took me longer than 25 when you include attempting all the resets.

Customs is setting up a 24/7 call centre to support people filling in the form. You can call free from New Zealand and Australia, but anywhere else it’s going to cost you. I’m a digital native, but I really feel for some older New Zealanders who could find the process stressful. Not to mention the toll calls back to New Zealand to sort it out.

At Christchurch Airport, a whole team of people dressed in NZTD (New Zealand Traveller Declaration) vests were buzzing around. And just as well, because border staff were having a few issues.

“Can I please see your digital form?” asked the inspector looking at our shoes. “What digital form?” I asked.

“Oh, no – your passport actually” he replied. I ended up having to give my passport over three more times because your digital form is linked to your passport number. In the paper days, once you went through passport control you could put your passport away. Not any more, it seems.

Then, when I went to the X-ray machine, I was asked for a “green pass”. I replied I didn’t know what that was. A quick discussion happened. OK, I didn’t need one. Through my bags went.

Of course, these are teething issues, and I’m sure they’ll be ironed out, but I think a bigger issue remains.

I talked to some other passengers who were also in the trial. One man said it was great. Another ran out of time before boarding the plane and never managed to get back in. Another had to restart their application – but couldn’t remember their email password because when overseas it often prompts you to re-enter it – so gave up.

Ask Customs for their opinion, and of course, they’re going to tell you it’s great. Their budget is getting a huge cash injection to implement it all. They argue this modernises our border by helping “travellers move through our ports and improve the safety and security of New Zealand.”

But at what cost? Stress to some older New Zealanders? More bureaucracy when it arguably isn’t needed? Interrupting your holiday to fill out a form? The enormous expense of a new 24/7 call centre?

The old saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” really comes to mind.

What do you think of the Government replacing the paper forms with the online New Zealand Traveller Declaration? Let us know in the comments below.