Blue Jackie: Immigration Bill — In Committee 
Blue Jackie: Immigration Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:657;Page:6685] 
Dr JACKIE BLUE (National) 
: 
 I am very pleased to speak to Part 2 of the Immigration Bill which is actually quite a substantial part. It covers the core provisions and matters in relation to decision making. The Government’s Supplementary Order Paper 32 makes changes to the original bill that impact on Part 2 and I want to talk about those in particular. One of the changes to Part 2 concerns the legislative ability to use biometrics. That is really all about keeping up with technology. I certainly doubt whether biometrics was a commonly used term in 1987 when the Immigration Act 1987 was passed. Biometrics involves the measurement of physical characteristics of a person for use in verifying his or her identity. Biometric information uniquely distinguishes one person from another and can be used to confirm an individual’s identity. Common forms of this sort of information include photographs and fingerprints which we use commonly. Other internationally acceptable forms of biometrics are iris scans and voice recognition. I am pretty sure that in 1987 iris scans and voice recognition were probably the stuff of sci-fi movies and certainly not common practice. 
The use of biometrics in New Zealand’s security system will only enhance security and help protect against identity fraud. Biometric identity information is increasingly being used in other countries and is regarded as essential to modern immigration and border systems. Traditional paper-based identity documents have become inadequate to manage identity fraud and we are all very familiar with the cases that have been in our own media of people whose identities have been stolen and the absolute anguish that they have had to suffer trying to prove their own identity. It is tragic. 
People are very much aware now that huge personal damage can be caused by identity fraud and that it can be quite time consuming to prove. The feeling is that biometrics will help improve the integrity of the immigration system in terms of confirmation in immigration decision-making providing greater assurance in identity fraud detecting non-citizens posing risks to New Zealand allowing for processing immigration applications more quickly and effectively facilitating the processing of arrivals at the border and New Zealand citizens and taking advantage of technology to automate the current face-to-passport check that is a standard aspect of current border processing. Biometric identity information is increasingly being used in comparable countries such as Australia Canada and the United States and is regarded as an essential modern immigration tool. 
This bill as far as its legislative ability to use biometrics goes enables the future collection and use of specified biometric information for identity verification purposes including collection storage and use of photographs fingerprints and iris scans of foreign nationals to verify their identity and check their character; use of photographs of New Zealand citizens to verify their identity and confirm their citizenship; and the ability to share biometric information nationally and internationally in certain circumstances which are being proposed by way of the Supplementary Order Paper before us today. 
The changes to the biometric provisions will ensure New Zealand has up-to-date and internationally comparable measures to address immigration and identity fraud. This Supplementary Order Paper and Part 2 are all about taking part in the modern technology that is in front of us and making sure that we can make use of that technology going forward so that we have the ability to keep up. 
Also in Part 2 are clauses that relate to a new classified information system with special safeguards. This bill enables classified information to be used in immigration and in refugee and protection decision-making with special safeguards. It can be used only when the Minister of Immigration agrees and the information relates to security or criminal conduct. The special safeguards to the classified information system are included to balance the right of the Government to use all available information to choose who may travel to enter and stay in New Zealand and the rights of foreign nationals. Classified information obviously has to be used very carefully and to date has been very rarely used. It is used only when there are very special circumstances.