About

What is the proposed citizenship test?

A summary of what's been publicly announced, what the Internal Affairs tender has put on the record, and what remains undecided.

The headline facts

On 6 May 2026, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden announced that applicants for New Zealand citizenship will sit a new multi-choice test, in person, from the second half of 2027. Applicants currently only sign a form saying they understand the "responsibilities and privileges" of citizenship; they will continue to need to meet residency, good-character and English-language requirements.

The day after the announcement, the Department of Internal Affairs released a procurement tender seeking suppliers to deliver the test. The tender confirmed several details about how the test will work.

Format

Twenty multi-choice questions, randomly drawn from a wider pool. A pass mark of 75 percent. A maximum sitting time of 45 minutes. The test will be delivered in person, both digitally and on paper, in rural and urban centres.

Attempts

Up to six attempts, divided into two periods separated by at least 30 working days. If an applicant fails the sixth time, the case would be referred back to the Department of Internal Affairs, which could either withdraw the application or refer it directly to the Minister of Internal Affairs.

Cost

The tender refers to an indicative cost of $24 per sitting. The Prime Minister has said the scheme will be self-funding.

Who has to sit it?

The test will not apply to people under 16 or over 65, or to anyone whose citizenship application is lodged before the test becomes a requirement in late 2027. Internal Affairs has projected around 80,000 sittings in the first year (2027–28), tapering to roughly 25,000 by year four.

What the test will cover

The topic areas publicly named in the announcement and tender are:

The actual question pool is being developed by officials. Minister van Velden has said the government will "provide guidance and other resources in advance" of the test going live.

The mock test on this site is built only from these named topic areas, drawing on public information from the Ministry of Justice, Parliament, the Electoral Commission, and the relevant legislation. It is not a leaked or simulated version of the official test — that test does not yet exist.

The political background

The proposal has support across the governing coalition. ACT leader David Seymour, whose party holds the Internal Affairs portfolio, has claimed the policy as a long-standing ACT objective dating back to 2016. NZ First leader Winston Peters used his party's 2025 conference to push for a "Kiwi values" pledge for new arrivals.

Critics have questioned the rationale. Immigration lawyer Pooja Sundar told RNZ the test is "a solution without a problem", asking what specific data shows existing migrants do not share New Zealand values, and what the country's values are taken to mean.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has framed the test as bringing New Zealand into line with the United Kingdom and Australia, which have run comparable tests for years.

Why this site exists

Australia has an Australian Values Statement — a document administered by the Department of Home Affairs that most visa applicants and prospective citizens are required to read. Applicants sign an acknowledgement that they have read and understood the values; this is a declaration of awareness, not a binding legal commitment, and it is separate from Australia's citizenship test. New Zealand has no formal equivalent — no Values Statement and (until late 2027) no test. The values being assessed by the proposed New Zealand test are defined, currently, only by what ministers have said in public statements and in the announced topic list.

That makes the question "what would I need to know to pass?" genuinely interesting for current New Zealanders, rather than a settled matter. This site invites you to find out, with the same threshold (75 percent), the same time limit (45 minutes), and the same question count (20) that ministers have publicly committed to for migrants from late 2027.

Take the mock test → Read what politicians have said

Sources

Primary reporting on the announcement comes from RNZ:

Mock-test factual content is drawn from the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, the Human Rights Act 1993, govt.nz, elections.nz, the Ministry of Justice, the Parliamentary Counsel Office, and Te Ara — the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Each question on the mock test cites the source for its correct answer.

About the author

This site is built and maintained by Doug Lilly, a Dunedin-based private citizen. The project is self-funded, not affiliated with any political party, and unaffiliated with any government agency. Corrections, source suggestions, and media enquiries are welcome via the contact form.