Copeland Gordon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Copeland Gordon: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:636;Page:6914] 
1. GORDON COPELAND (United Future) 
 to the  
Minister of Immigration 
: Why is the Government proceeding with the decision to “collect and use limited biometric information” namely fingerprints iris scans and facial recognition from migrants and Kiwis returning home when there has been no policy development to justify the need? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Minister of Immigration) 
: 
 There is no I repeat no proposal to fingerprint or take iris scans from New Zealand passport holders. 
Gordon Copeland 
: Has the Government not in fact got the cart before the horse when it comes to the use of biometrics and why does it even court that possibility when it has caused uproar in other parts of the world no present need has been identified and it is just not the Kiwi way? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: Due to the time frames required with legislative change we need to future-proof the proposed legislation now so that we can respond rapidly to pressing future needs. The reality is that the technology exists now to do this as does the attempt to circumvent it. The United States the UK Canada and Australia I am advised all have provision to use biometric collections. 
Gordon Copeland 
: Does the Minister not risk in rushing ahead with biometrics creating the impression that the Government is intent on taking New Zealand into some sort of Aldous Huxley  
Brave New World 
 when instinctively and in my view correctly New Zealanders do not want a bar of that? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: I remind the member that this whole issue is subject to further policy work and Cabinet decisions. A safeguard mechanism has also already been agreed to requiring an Order in Council process to activate any such provision. This is in a sense the same process as now where New Zealand citizens are checked against their passport photo at the border. The most that is contemplated is that that checking may be done by a machine rather than a person. 
Peter Brown 
: Will the Minister confirm that New Zealand First made a substantial submission to the review of the Immigration Act and has been supportive of efforts to make our borders more secure such as making it easier to remove people whose applications to stay are rejected and to stop suspect applicants at the border? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: Indeed it did and I am further advised that around 80 percent of the individual submissions on this matter supported the proposed potential use of biometric information. 
Keith Locke 
: Can the Minister explain how this biometric proposal and related heavy-handed measures announced yesterday like kicking out permanent residents at any time during their first 5 years here on spurious or nebulous grounds such as character can help New Zealand to attract skilled labour in the global market? 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE 
: The member may wish to check his facts first. There is absolutely no proposal to kick anybody out of New Zealand on spurious grounds. A number of changes have been made since the original discussion document in April that put in additional safeguards. I note that there was a clean New Zealand Bill of Rights Act check on the bill before it went through Cabinet. 
Keith Locke 
: I seek leave to table an article from this morning’s  
Dominion Post  
that indicates quite clearly that it is proposed in the legislation to fingerprint or iris scan New Zealanders although this could be removed from the bill at the select committee. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Gordon Copeland 
: I seek leave to table the chapter on biometrics from the Government’s papers released yesterday which says that the Government will use limited biometric information from New Zealand citizens at the border. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.