Kiwis go “self service” for trusted passports
New Zealand Customs and Auckland International Airport have announced the potential end of face-to-face checks by Customs staff on all visitors by seeking a supplier of self service kiosks for trusted travellers.
It is proposed that the kiosks will automatically check the identity of travellers, using software to match people against their passport photos, while ensuring passengers are not on wanted lists and if things are not quite right, letting the passenger know if Customs needs to question them.
Customs NZ said that security would not be compromised as passengers would continue to be monitored by NZ Customs officers from the moment they disembarked and thanks to Advanced Passenger Processing technology, Customs knows who is travelling to New Zealand before they board their aircraft, and has more time to assess possible risks and decide who it wants to question.
The kiosks will be initially offered to Air New Zealand passengers arriving at Auckland airport, then to Qantas passengers and eventually to other airline passengers who do not require visas, with other airports, such as Wellington and Christchurch, possibly introducing them in the future.
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