<\/p>\n
\nInternal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden.
\nPhoto: RNZ \/ Samuel Rillstone\n<\/p>\n
Companies interested in implementing the new citizenship test have been told they must be able to prevent “cheating”.<\/p>\n
Questions such as about voting rights and the structure of government will feature and applicants will need to hit a 75 percent pass rate.<\/p>\n
A new tender from Internal Affairs said applicants would get up to six attempts over two periods divided by at least 30 working days.<\/p>\n
If they failed the sixth time a person would be “referred back to the Department [of Internal Affairs], to either withdraw their citizenship application, or have their application considered directly by the Minister of Internal Affairs”.<\/p>\n
The test would last up to 45 minutes on 20 multi-choice questions “randomly selected from a wider pool”.<\/p>\n
A government website said the fee was still to be decided but the tender referred to a cost for each test of a candidate of $24.<\/p>\n
“We are seeking indicative pricing information to support budget and market analysis.”<\/p>\n
Some people, such as under 16s or over 65s, would be exempt. Anyone who had applied for citizenship before the test became a requirement late next year would not have to sit it.<\/p>\n
In comparable countries, test pass rates were over 90 percent with at least 80 percent passing on their first attempt – and they got up to four attempts at it, the tender said. “We are planning for similar pass rates.”<\/p>\n
It estimated 80,000 people would seek the test, which would be done in-person and digitally, in the first year – 2027-28 – dropping over time to about 25,000 four years later.<\/p>\n
Suppliers were asked to spell out what they could offer including “measures used to prevent cheating or unauthorised assistance”.<\/p>\n
Integrity controls should “deliver the most value over cost”.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Morning Report on Thursday it was self funding.<\/p>\n