National Party proposes passport-free travel between New Zealand and Australia

At a press event in Queenstown, the National Party revealed an election policy to pilot passport-free travel between New Zealand and Australia before the 2028 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Party leader Christopher Luxon and tourism spokeswoman Louise Upston said the initiative would let eligible citizens upload passport data and complete the New Zealand Traveller Declaration digitally, enabling early immigration, customs and biosecurity assessment.

Participants would be verified through facial-recognition and other biometric technologies at dedicated lanes in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown airports. The plan maintains existing biosecurity inspections and allows officers to intervene if risks are identified. The proposal follows 1.52 million Australian arrivals in 2025, who spent about $4.2 billion in New Zealand, highlighting the economic importance of smoother cross-border movement.