New Zealand citizenship test questions and answers
Coming soon: New Zealand's citizenship test starts from late 2027. It is not required yet. Our questions cover the topics the government has announced, and we will update them when official study materials are published.
162 practice questions for the New Zealand citizenship test, each with its answer and a short explanation. The real test has 20 questions and you need 15 correct.
These are our own questions on the announced topics. Official study materials have not been published yet, so the real questions may differ.
Privileges and responsibilities
What citizenship gives you and what it asks of you, from voting to paying tax. Practise this topic as a quiz
1. Which of these is a privilege of New Zealand citizenship?
Answer: Living in New Zealand indefinitely
Citizens can live in New Zealand indefinitely, travel on a New Zealand passport, vote, and stand for Parliament or local government.
2. Which of these is a privilege of New Zealand citizenship?
Answer: Standing for Parliament or local government
Citizens can stand for Parliament or local government.
3. Which of these is a privilege of New Zealand citizenship?
Answer: Representing New Zealand in sports
The government lists representing New Zealand in sports as a privilege of citizenship.
4. Which of these is a responsibility of New Zealand citizens?
Answer: To obey and promote the laws of New Zealand
Citizens must obey and promote the laws of New Zealand.
5. Which of these is a responsibility of New Zealand citizens?
Answer: To register on the electoral roll
Citizens must register on the electoral roll. Voting itself is optional.
6. Which of these is a responsibility of New Zealand citizens?
Answer: To pay tax
Paying tax is one of the responsibilities of a citizen.
7. Which of these is a responsibility of New Zealand citizens?
Answer: Not to act against the interests of New Zealand
Citizens must not act in a way that is against the interests of New Zealand.
8. In New Zealand, which is compulsory for eligible citizens?
Answer: Enrolling on the electoral roll
If you are eligible you must enrol, but voting is not compulsory.
9. Do New Zealand citizens have to vote in general elections?
Answer: No, voting is not compulsory
Voting is not compulsory in New Zealand, but eligible people must enrol.
10. Which document do New Zealand citizens have the privilege of travelling on?
Answer: A New Zealand passport
Citizens can travel overseas on a New Zealand passport.
11. What do New Zealand citizens have full access to, as a privilege of citizenship?
Answer: Education and full economic and social rights
Citizens have full access to education and full economic and social rights.
12. What does 'behave as a responsible New Zealander' mean for a citizen?
Answer: It is one of a citizen's responsibilities
The government lists behaving as a responsible New Zealander as a responsibility of citizenship.
The Bill of Rights Act
The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990: freedoms, voting rights and your rights if arrested or charged. Practise this topic as a quiz
1. In what year was the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act passed?
Answer: 1990
The New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 received Royal assent on 28 August 1990.
2. What is one purpose of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990?
Answer: To affirm, protect and promote human rights and freedoms
Its long title says it aims to affirm, protect and promote human rights and fundamental freedoms in New Zealand.
3. Who does the Bill of Rights Act apply to?
Answer: The government and anyone performing a public function
It applies to acts of the legislative, executive and judicial branches, and anyone performing a public function, power or duty (section 3).
4. Under the Bill of Rights Act, who has the right to vote in general elections?
Answer: Every citizen aged 18 or over
Section 12: every New Zealand citizen aged 18 or over has the right to vote, by equal suffrage and secret ballot.
5. How must general elections be held under the Bill of Rights Act?
Answer: By equal suffrage and secret ballot
Section 12 says elections shall be by equal suffrage and by secret ballot.
6. Which freedom does section 14 of the Bill of Rights Act protect?
Answer: Freedom of expression
Section 14: everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including to seek, receive and share information and opinions.
7. Which right does the Bill of Rights Act give to everyone?
Answer: Freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief
Section 13 protects freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, including holding opinions without interference.
8. Under the Bill of Rights Act, can people practise their religion in public?
Answer: Yes, in public or in private
Section 15: everyone may manifest their religion or belief in worship, observance, practice or teaching, in public or in private.
9. Which kind of assembly does the Bill of Rights Act protect?
Answer: Peaceful assembly
Section 16: everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.
10. Which freedom is in section 17 of the Bill of Rights Act?
Answer: Freedom of association
Section 17: everyone has the right to freedom of association.
11. Under the Bill of Rights Act, who has the right to enter New Zealand?
Answer: Every New Zealand citizen
Section 18(2): every New Zealand citizen has the right to enter New Zealand.
12. Under the Bill of Rights Act, who has the right to leave New Zealand?
Answer: Everyone
Section 18(3): everyone has the right to leave New Zealand.
13. What does section 20 of the Bill of Rights Act protect?
Answer: The rights of ethnic, religious and language minorities
Minorities have the right, with their community, to enjoy their culture, practise their religion and use their language.
14. What protection does the Bill of Rights Act give against search?
Answer: Protection from unreasonable search or seizure
Section 21: everyone has the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure.
15. Under the Bill of Rights Act, can a person be arrested for no reason?
Answer: No, not arbitrarily
Section 22: everyone has the right not to be arbitrarily arrested or detained.
16. If you are arrested, what must you be told?
Answer: The reason for the arrest
Section 23: people who are arrested must be told the reason at the time of arrest.
17. If you are arrested, when may you consult a lawyer?
Answer: Without delay
Section 23: people who are arrested have the right to consult and instruct a lawyer without delay, and to be told of that right.
18. If you are arrested for an offence, do you have to make a statement?
Answer: No, you have the right not to
Section 23(4): people arrested or detained for an offence have the right to refrain from making any statement, and to be told of that right.
19. How must people who have lost their liberty be treated?
Answer: With humanity and respect for their dignity
Section 23(5): everyone deprived of liberty shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the person.
20. If you cannot understand the language used in court, what are you entitled to?
Answer: A free interpreter
Section 24(g): a person charged has the right to the free assistance of an interpreter if they cannot understand or speak the language used in court.
21. When does someone charged with an offence have the right to a jury trial?
Answer: When the penalty can be 2 years' prison or more
Section 24(e): a jury trial is available when the penalty is or includes imprisonment for 2 years or more (except military law cases).
22. Under the Bill of Rights Act, how is a person charged with an offence treated until proven guilty?
Answer: As innocent
Section 25(c): everyone charged has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.
23. What kind of hearing does a person charged with an offence have the right to?
Answer: A fair and public hearing by an independent court
Section 25(a): the right to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial court.
24. Can someone who has been finally acquitted of an offence be tried for it again?
Answer: No
Section 26(2): no one who has been finally acquitted, convicted or pardoned shall be tried or punished for it again (double jeopardy).
25. Can you be convicted for something that was not an offence when you did it?
Answer: No
Section 26(1): no one can be convicted for an act that was not an offence under New Zealand law when it happened.
26. Under the Bill of Rights Act, can you refuse medical treatment?
Answer: Yes, everyone has that right
Section 11: everyone has the right to refuse to undergo any medical treatment.
27. What does the Bill of Rights Act say about torture?
Answer: Everyone has the right not to be tortured
Section 9: everyone has the right not to be subjected to torture or to cruel, degrading or disproportionately severe treatment or punishment.
28. Can a person be used in a medical experiment without their consent?
Answer: No
Section 10: every person has the right not to be subjected to medical or scientific experimentation without their consent.
29. Can the rights in the Bill of Rights Act ever be limited?
Answer: Only by reasonable limits that can be justified
Section 5: rights may be subject only to reasonable limits prescribed by law that can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.
30. Can a court cancel a law because it is inconsistent with the Bill of Rights Act?
Answer: No, courts cannot strike down the law
Section 4: courts cannot treat another law as repealed or invalid just because it is inconsistent with the Bill of Rights.
31. Who must tell Parliament when a new Bill seems inconsistent with the Bill of Rights?
Answer: The Attorney-General
Section 7: the Attorney-General must bring to Parliament's attention any provision in a Bill that appears inconsistent with the Bill of Rights.
Human rights
The Human Rights Act 1993, the prohibited grounds of discrimination and where to complain. Practise this topic as a quiz
1. Which law sets out the prohibited grounds of discrimination in New Zealand?
Answer: The Human Rights Act 1993
Section 21 of the Human Rights Act 1993 lists the prohibited grounds of discrimination.
2. Which of these is a prohibited ground of discrimination in New Zealand?
Answer: Religious belief
Religious belief is a prohibited ground. Others include sex, race, colour, age and disability.
3. Which of these is a prohibited ground of discrimination in New Zealand?
Answer: Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation (heterosexual, homosexual, lesbian or bisexual) is a prohibited ground.
4. Which of these is a prohibited ground of discrimination in New Zealand?
Answer: Marital status
Marital status, including being single, married, in a civil union or de facto relationship, or separated, is a prohibited ground.
5. Under the Human Rights Act, what does the ground of 'sex' include?
Answer: Pregnancy and childbirth
Section 21(1)(a): sex includes pregnancy and childbirth.
6. What is 'ethical belief' under the Human Rights Act?
Answer: Not having a religious belief
Ethical belief means the lack of a religious belief. It is protected just like religious belief.
7. Under the Human Rights Act, what does 'ethnic or national origins' include?
Answer: Nationality or citizenship
Section 21(1)(g): ethnic or national origins includes nationality or citizenship.
8. From what age is age a prohibited ground of discrimination?
Answer: 16 years
For most purposes, the age ground covers any age from 16 years.
9. Which of these is a prohibited ground of discrimination in New Zealand?
Answer: Political opinion
Political opinion, including having no particular political opinion, is a prohibited ground.
10. Which of these is a prohibited ground of discrimination in New Zealand?
Answer: Employment status, such as being unemployed
Employment status includes being unemployed or receiving a benefit or ACC entitlement.
11. Which of these is a prohibited ground of discrimination in New Zealand?
Answer: Family status, such as caring for children
Family status includes being responsible for the care of children or other dependants, or not having that responsibility.
12. Under the Human Rights Act, disability includes relying on which of these?
Answer: A disability assist dog or wheelchair
Disability includes reliance on a disability assist dog, wheelchair or other remedial means.
13. Can an employer refuse to hire a qualified person because of their race?
Answer: No, that is unlawful discrimination
The Human Rights Act makes it unlawful for employers to refuse to employ a qualified person because of a prohibited ground such as race.
14. Can a landlord refuse to rent a house to someone because of their religion?
Answer: No, that is unlawful discrimination
The Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in housing and accommodation on grounds such as religious belief.
15. Which body can people complain to about unlawful discrimination?
Answer: The Human Rights Commission
The Human Rights Commission deals with complaints of unlawful discrimination under the Human Rights Act 1993.
16. Which body hears discrimination cases that are not resolved by the Human Rights Commission?
Answer: The Human Rights Review Tribunal
Complaints not resolved can go to the Human Rights Review Tribunal, set up under the Human Rights Act.
17. Under the Bill of Rights Act, everyone has the right to freedom from discrimination on which grounds?
Answer: The grounds in the Human Rights Act 1993
Section 19 of the Bill of Rights Act gives freedom from discrimination on the grounds listed in the Human Rights Act 1993.
18. Are good-faith measures to help disadvantaged groups considered discrimination?
Answer: No, they are not discrimination
Section 19(2) of the Bill of Rights Act: measures taken in good faith to help groups disadvantaged by unlawful discrimination do not count as discrimination.
19. How many prohibited grounds of discrimination are listed in the Human Rights Act?
Answer: 13
Section 21 lists 13 grounds, from (a) sex to (m) sexual orientation.
20. Which of these is a prohibited ground of discrimination in New Zealand?
Answer: Colour
Colour and race are separate prohibited grounds in the Human Rights Act.
Voting and democracy
MMP, who can enrol and vote, party and electorate votes, and how governments form. Practise this topic as a quiz
1. What voting system does New Zealand use to elect Parliament?
Answer: Mixed Member Proportional (MMP)
New Zealand uses MMP, which stands for Mixed Member Proportional.
2. How many votes does each voter have in a New Zealand general election?
Answer: Two: a party vote and an electorate vote
Under MMP you have two votes: a party vote and an electorate vote.
3. What does the party vote mostly decide?
Answer: The total number of seats each party gets
The party vote largely decides the total number of seats each political party gets in Parliament.
4. What does the electorate vote decide?
Answer: Who represents the area you live in
The electorate vote helps choose who represents the electorate you live in. The candidate with the most votes wins.
5. How many seats does Parliament usually have?
Answer: 120
Parliament has 120 seats for its members of Parliament.
6. What must a party achieve to get seats through the party vote?
Answer: At least 5% of the party vote, or win an electorate
Parties must get at least 5% of the party vote or win an electorate seat before they can have seats in Parliament.
7. What are MPs elected from a party list called?
Answer: List MPs
Candidates elected from a party's ranked list are called list MPs.
8. What is a coalition?
Answer: Two or more parties joining to form a government
Under MMP one party rarely governs alone. A coalition is when two or more parties join to form a government.
9. What is a confidence and supply agreement?
Answer: When one party agrees to support another on key votes
In a confidence and supply agreement one party agrees to support another on certain issues and laws voted on in Parliament.
10. Who is eligible to enrol and vote in New Zealand?
Answer: People 18 or over who are citizens or residents and have lived here 12 months
You're eligible if you are 18 or older, a citizen or resident for electoral purposes, and have lived in New Zealand continuously for 12 months or more at some time.
11. Can permanent residents vote in New Zealand general elections?
Answer: Yes, if they meet the residence rules
Residents for electoral purposes can enrol and vote if they are 18 or older and have lived in New Zealand continuously for 12 months at some time.
12. To vote in a general election, by when must you be enrolled?
Answer: By midnight, 13 days before Election Day
To vote in a general election you need to be enrolled by midnight, 13 days before Election Day.
13. Is voting in New Zealand done by secret ballot?
Answer: Yes
The Bill of Rights Act says elections are by equal suffrage and secret ballot.
14. Who can stand as a candidate for Parliament?
Answer: Anyone enrolled to vote
Everyone who is enrolled to vote is also eligible to be a candidate for election as an MP.
15. What is the longest term that a Parliament can last?
Answer: 3 years
The House of Representatives is elected for a maximum 3-year term.
16. In which types of vote can New Zealanders over 18 take part?
Answer: General elections, local elections and referendums
New Zealanders over 18 can vote in general elections, local elections and referendums.
17. Which organisation runs New Zealand's general elections?
Answer: The Electoral Commission
The Electoral Commission is an independent body that runs general elections and manages enrolment.
18. Do the King and Governor-General take part in election campaigns?
Answer: No, they are politically neutral
The King and Governor-General are politically neutral and do not get involved in elections.
19. What kind of democracy does New Zealand have?
Answer: A representative democracy
New Zealand is a representative democracy: voters elect people to represent them in Parliament and local government.
20. In local elections, who do voters elect?
Answer: Councillors and board members
During local elections, voters elect councillors and board members to run local services.
21. Which was New Zealand's world first in 1893?
Answer: The first self-governing country where women could vote in national elections
In 1893 New Zealand became the first self-governing country in the world where women could vote in national elections.
22. Under MMP, a party's share of seats is roughly equal to what?
Answer: Its share of the party vote
Because MMP is proportional, a party's share of seats is about the same as its share of the party vote.
23. What is an electorate MP?
Answer: A candidate who won an electorate seat
Every candidate who wins an electorate gets a seat in Parliament and is called an electorate MP.
24. Can a New Zealand citizen who has recently lived overseas still vote?
Answer: Yes, if they have been in New Zealand in the last 3 years
Citizens overseas can enrol and vote if they have been in New Zealand within the last 3 years.
System of government
The King, the Governor-General, Parliament, the three branches, courts and local councils. Practise this topic as a quiz
1. Who is New Zealand's Head of State?
Answer: The King of New Zealand, King Charles III
New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy. The King of New Zealand, King Charles III, is Head of State.
2. Who is the King's representative in New Zealand?
Answer: The Governor-General
The King's representative in New Zealand is the Governor-General.
3. What kind of constitution does New Zealand have?
Answer: An unwritten constitution, not in one document
New Zealand has an unwritten constitution: its rules come from several laws and documents rather than one.
4. What are the three branches of government in New Zealand?
Answer: The legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary
The three branches are the legislature (Parliament), the Executive (the elected government) and the Judiciary (judges and courts).
5. Why does New Zealand have three separate branches of government?
Answer: So no one part of government has too much power
Three separate branches make sure no one part of government has too much power.
6. What is New Zealand's Parliament made up of?
Answer: The House of Representatives and the Governor-General
Parliament is made up of the House of Representatives and the Governor-General. There is only one house.
7. How many houses (chambers) does New Zealand's Parliament have?
Answer: One
New Zealand's Parliament has one house, the House of Representatives.
8. Which branch of government are the judges and courts?
Answer: The Judiciary
The Judiciary is the judges and courts.
9. Which branch of government makes laws?
Answer: The legislature (Parliament)
The legislature, Parliament, makes laws.
10. Who usually forms the government after an election?
Answer: The party or group of parties with the most seats
The party or group of parties with the most seats in the House becomes the government.
11. Who is the leader of the New Zealand Government?
Answer: The Prime Minister
The Prime Minister leads the Government and chairs Cabinet.
12. Who chairs debates in the House of Representatives?
Answer: The Speaker
The Speaker presides over the House of Representatives.
13. What is the final step before a Bill becomes law?
Answer: Royal assent from the Governor-General
After the House passes a Bill, the Governor-General gives Royal assent and it becomes an Act.
14. What does a select committee do?
Answer: Examines Bills and hears public submissions
Select committees are groups of MPs who examine Bills in detail and can hear submissions from the public.
15. Where does New Zealand's Parliament meet?
Answer: Wellington
Parliament meets in Wellington, the capital city.
16. What is the highest court in New Zealand?
Answer: The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court, set up in 2004, is New Zealand's highest court.
17. Are judges in New Zealand independent of the government?
Answer: Yes
Judges are part of the Judiciary, which is separate from Parliament and the Executive.
18. Which duties does the Governor-General carry out?
Answer: Constitutional, ceremonial and community duties
The Governor-General carries out a mixture of constitutional, ceremonial and community duties.
19. Which of these are official languages of New Zealand?
Answer: Te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language
Te reo Māori (1987) and New Zealand Sign Language (2006) are official languages by law. English is also used everywhere.
20. Who investigates complaints about government agencies?
Answer: The Ombudsman
The Ombudsman investigates complaints about government agencies.
21. Which law gives people the right to ask government agencies for information?
Answer: The Official Information Act 1982
Under the Official Information Act 1982, anyone can request information held by government agencies.
22. What are the two main types of local council in New Zealand?
Answer: Regional councils and city or district councils
Local government is made up of regional councils and territorial authorities (city and district councils).
23. Who leads a city or district council?
Answer: A mayor
A city or district council is led by a mayor.
24. What is the capital city of New Zealand?
Answer: Wellington
Wellington is the capital, where Parliament meets.
25. What is the group of senior ministers who make key government decisions called?
Answer: Cabinet
Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, is the main decision-making group of the Government.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi: its signing, its two texts, its three articles and the Waitangi Tribunal. Practise this topic as a quiz
1. When was the Treaty of Waitangi first signed?
Answer: 6 February 1840
The Treaty was first signed on 6 February 1840.
2. Where was the Treaty of Waitangi first signed?
Answer: At Waitangi in the Bay of Islands
It was first signed at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands.
3. Who were the two parties to the Treaty of Waitangi?
Answer: The British Crown and Māori rangatira (chiefs)
The Treaty is an agreement between the British Crown and Māori rangatira.
4. Who signed the Treaty of Waitangi for the British Crown?
Answer: Captain William Hobson
Captain William Hobson signed for the Crown on 6 February 1840.
5. By the end of 1840, about how many Māori had signed the Treaty?
Answer: Over 500
Copies were taken around the country, and by the end of 1840 over 500 Māori had signed.
6. What is the te reo Māori name for the Treaty of Waitangi?
Answer: Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the Māori-language name of the Treaty.
7. How many sheets make up the Treaty of Waitangi?
Answer: 9
There are 9 sheets: 8 in te reo Māori and 1 in English.
8. In what languages was the Treaty of Waitangi written?
Answer: Te reo Māori and English
The Treaty has a Māori text and an English text, and they do not say exactly the same thing.
9. In Article 1, what did the Māori text grant to the Crown?
Answer: Kāwanatanga (governance)
The Māori text of Article 1 granted kāwanatanga (governance). The English text said sovereignty.
10. In Article 1, what did the English text say Māori ceded to the Crown?
Answer: Sovereignty
The English text of Article 1 says sovereignty was ceded. The Māori text uses kāwanatanga (governance).
11. What did Article 2 of the Māori text promise to uphold?
Answer: The rangatiratanga (authority) of Māori over their lands and treasures
Article 2 of the Māori text promised to uphold rangatiratanga over lands, villages and treasures.
12. What did Article 2 of the English text guarantee to Māori?
Answer: Possession of their lands, forests and fisheries
The English text guaranteed undisturbed possession of lands, estates, forests and fisheries.
13. What did Article 3 of the Treaty promise Māori?
Answer: The same rights as British subjects
Both texts of Article 3 promise Māori the same rights and privileges as British subjects.
14. Under the Treaty, to whom did Māori agree to sell land?
Answer: The Crown
Māori agreed to sell land to the Crown. The English text called this the Crown's exclusive right of pre-emption.
15. When was the Waitangi Tribunal set up?
Answer: 1975
The Waitangi Tribunal was set up under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975.
16. What does the Waitangi Tribunal do?
Answer: Inquires into Māori claims about breaches of the Treaty
The Tribunal inquires into Māori claims against the Crown under the Treaty and reports on them.
17. What do most Waitangi Tribunal findings take the form of?
Answer: Reports and recommendations to the government
The Tribunal mostly makes recommendations; it works as an advisory body.
18. When is Waitangi Day?
Answer: 6 February
Waitangi Day, a public holiday on 6 February, marks the first signing of the Treaty in 1840.
19. Where can the original Treaty of Waitangi sheets be seen today?
Answer: At the National Library in Wellington
The Treaty sheets are on permanent display at the National Library in Wellington, in the He Tohu exhibition.
20. Who was the first rangatira to sign the Treaty at Waitangi?
Answer: Hone Heke
Hone Heke was the first rangatira to sign on 6 February 1840.
Some criminal offences
Family violence, offences against children, bribery, weapons, drink-driving and road rules. Practise this topic as a quiz
1. In New Zealand, is not knowing the law an excuse for breaking it?
Answer: No
The Crimes Act says ignorance of the law is not an excuse for any offence.
2. Is family violence against the law in New Zealand?
Answer: Yes, it is a crime
Family violence, including physical, sexual and psychological abuse, is against the law.
3. Is strangling or suffocating someone a specific offence in New Zealand?
Answer: Yes, even without other injuries
Since 2018 the Crimes Act has a specific offence of strangulation or suffocation.
4. Can parents use physical force to punish (correct) a child?
Answer: No, physical punishment for correction is not allowed
Since 2007 the Crimes Act does not allow the use of force for the purpose of correcting a child.
5. What is the age of consent for sexual activity in New Zealand?
Answer: 16
Sexual activity with a person under 16 is a crime.
6. Is female genital mutilation legal in New Zealand?
Answer: No, it is a crime
Female genital mutilation is a crime, including arranging for it to be done overseas.
7. Is it an offence to offer money to a police officer to avoid a charge?
Answer: Yes, that is bribery
Bribing, or offering to bribe, a law enforcement officer is an offence under the Crimes Act.
8. Can you carry a knife in a public place without a reasonable excuse?
Answer: No, that is an offence
Having a knife in a public place without a reasonable excuse is an offence.
9. What is the alcohol limit for drivers under 20?
Answer: Zero
Drivers under 20 have a zero alcohol limit: they can be charged after even one drink.
10. What is the breath alcohol limit for drivers aged 20 and over?
Answer: 250 micrograms per litre of breath
Drivers aged 20 and over can't have more than 250 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath, or 50 mg per 100 ml of blood.
11. Is it legal to use a hand-held mobile phone while driving?
Answer: No
Using a hand-held mobile phone while driving is against the law.
12. Who must wear a seatbelt in a moving vehicle?
Answer: The driver and every passenger
Drivers and all passengers must wear a seatbelt or be in an approved child restraint.
13. Is it a crime to deliberately avoid paying tax?
Answer: Yes
Tax evasion is an offence. Paying tax is also one of a citizen's responsibilities.
14. What number should you call in an emergency in New Zealand?
Answer: 111
Call 111 for police, fire or ambulance in an emergency. Call 105 to report something to police that is not urgent.
15. What number do you call to report a non-emergency to the police?
Answer: 105
105 is the police non-emergency number.
16. Can New Zealand citizenship be taken away if it was obtained by fraud?
Answer: Yes
Citizenship obtained by fraud, false representation or hiding important facts can be taken away.
Travel and passports
Travelling on a New Zealand passport, dual citizenship and getting help overseas. Practise this topic as a quiz
1. For how long is an adult New Zealand passport usually valid?
Answer: 10 years
Adult passports are valid for 10 years. Child passports are valid for 5 years.
2. For how long is a child's New Zealand passport usually valid?
Answer: 5 years
Passports for children under 16 are valid for 5 years.
3. What should you do if your New Zealand passport is lost or stolen?
Answer: Report it straight away so it can be cancelled
Report a lost or stolen passport immediately. It will be cancelled so no one else can use it.
4. Can you lend your New Zealand passport to someone else to travel?
Answer: No, that is an offence
Letting another person use your passport is an offence under the Passports Act.
5. A New Zealand citizen who also holds a foreign passport wants to enter New Zealand as a citizen. What do they need?
Answer: A New Zealand passport, or a citizen endorsement in the foreign passport
To enter as a citizen you need a New Zealand passport or a New Zealand citizen endorsement in your foreign passport.
6. Can you leave New Zealand on one passport and return on another?
Answer: Yes, if both are valid
You do not have to leave and enter New Zealand on the same passport.
7. When you are overseas, whose laws must you obey?
Answer: The laws of the country you are in
When you travel, you must follow the laws of the country you are visiting.
8. Which website should New Zealanders use to register their travel and get travel advice?
Answer: SafeTravel
SafeTravel, run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, gives travel advice and lets you register your trip.
9. Where can New Zealanders get consular help when they are overseas?
Answer: A New Zealand embassy, high commission or consulate
New Zealand embassies, high commissions and consulates provide consular help to citizens overseas.
10. Can a New Zealand embassy get you out of prison overseas?
Answer: No, but it can check you are treated fairly
Consular staff cannot get you out of prison or override local laws, but they can make sure you are treated fairly.
11. Can New Zealand citizens live and work in Australia?
Answer: Yes, under the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement
The Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement allows New Zealand citizens to visit, live and work in Australia.
12. Does New Zealand allow its citizens to hold another citizenship as well?
Answer: Yes
New Zealand allows dual or multiple citizenship, though the other country's laws may not.
13. Which organisation issues New Zealand passports?
Answer: The Department of Internal Affairs
The Department of Internal Affairs issues New Zealand passports and runs citizenship.
14. Why does the government recommend travel insurance?
Answer: It can pay for medical care and emergencies overseas
The government cannot pay your medical or emergency bills overseas, so it recommends good travel insurance.
Now test yourself
Reading answers is not the same as remembering them. Take a full 20-question practice test with the real pass mark.
TestWise Prep is an independent practice site and is not affiliated with the government of New Zealand. Our questions are original and cover the topics announced on the official page, Citizenship test (govt.nz). Test rules can change, so always check the official website. Test details last checked: 30 September 2026.