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Under the proposed amendments to section 280 of the Immigration Act 2009, is it intended that a person who is lawfully in New Zealand but unable or unwilling to immediately provide proof of identity be detained pending verification of their identity?

Answered Question 20373 (2026)
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Asked by

Ricardo Menéndez March

List MP · Green Party

Question

  • Under the proposed amendments to section 280 of the Immigration Act 2009, is it intended that a person who is lawfully in New Zealand but unable or unwilling to immediately provide proof of identity be detained pending verification of their identity?

Answered by

Hon Erica Stanford

Member for East Coast Bays · National Party · Minister of Immigration

Answer

The power to detain is only invoked where the person does not have a good reason for not sharing their identity details or their identity documents, and detention is proportionate with the need to establish identity.