A group portrait of New Zealanders of different ages and ethnic backgrounds, standing on a grassy hillside above a coastal harbour at golden hour.
Independent · Non-partisan

Would you pass?

From late 2027, migrants applying for New Zealand citizenship will face a 20-question multi-choice test. The test does not yet exist — this is a mock version, drawn only from topics ministers have publicly named.

Takes around 5 minutes.

20questions
75%to pass
~5 minto try the mock
~80,000expected sittings, year one
The proposal

A test for new citizens, in a country with no agreed values statement

On 6 May 2026, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden announced that migrants seeking New Zealand citizenship will sit a multi-choice test from the second half of 2027. Applicants currently sign a form saying they understand their responsibilities. The new test makes this a measured threshold: 75 percent to pass, 20 questions drawn from a wider pool, up to 45 minutes allowed, with up to six attempts permitted.

Topic areas publicly named so far include the Bill of Rights Act, voting rights, the structure of government, human rights, certain criminal offences, democratic principles, and travel to and from New Zealand.

Australia has a separate Australian Values Statement — a Department of Home Affairs document that most visa applicants and prospective citizens are required to read and sign an acknowledgement of having read. It is a declaration of awareness, not a binding legal commitment, and it sits alongside (not inside) Australia's citizenship test. New Zealand has no equivalent document. The values being assessed are, at the time of writing, defined only by what ministers have said in public.

Note This site is a private project. The official test does not yet exist, and this mock is not affiliated with the New Zealand Government, the Department of Internal Affairs, or any political party. Question content is drawn from publicly verifiable sources on the topic areas ministers have named.
In their own words

What's being said about "Kiwi values"

Brooke van Velden · Internal Affairs (ACT)
"People seeking citizenship should understand New Zealanders believe in certain rights, like freedom of speech, or that no one person or group is above the law."
RNZ · 6 May 2026
Christopher Luxon · Prime Minister (National)
"It's probably not a bad thing to remind people that things like freedom of expression, freedom of speech and women having equal rights ... to have them positively affirmed is probably a good thing."
RNZ · 7 May 2026
Chris Hipkins · Labour Leader
Said Labour was "open to strengthening our citizenship rules" but was firm that Te Tiriti o Waitangi had to be included. Van Velden subsequently said the test would have one question on the Treaty.
RNZ · 7 May 2026
Anu Kaloti · Migrant Workers' Association
"Living a decent, peaceful, law abiding life does not require people to be tested for it."
RNZ · 7 May 2026

Read the full politician statements →

The gap

What ministers haven't mentioned

Te Tiriti o Waitangi — New Zealand's founding document — was not in the topic list announced on 6 May. After Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the Treaty had to be included, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden told RNZ the test would have one question on it. Ministerial framings of "Kiwi values" still do not mention biculturalism, te ao Māori, or New Zealand's Pacific identity.

This site treats those omissions as facts of the public record, not as accusations. The missing-values page lays out what isn't there, and why some commentators think it matters.

Read what's missing →

Take the mock test

Same threshold, same time, same number of questions

The mock test is built to the public specifications: 20 multi-choice questions, 75 percent to pass, with a 45-minute timer available — though in practice the mock takes most people around 5 minutes. The question pool currently has 65 questions, so each attempt draws a different mix.

Questions are drawn only from topic areas that ministers and the Internal Affairs tender have publicly named. Each correct answer cites a public source. No question relies on what the official test "might" contain.

Spread the word

Print and share the poster below — pin it to a noticeboard, share it to a group chat, or post it on social media. The QR code links directly to the mock test.