Would-be Kiwis will get up to six attempts to pass new citizenship test

Companies interested in implementing the new citizenship test have been told they must be able to prevent "cheating".

Questions such as about voting rights and the structure of government will feature and applicants will need to hit a 75 percent pass rate.

A new tender from Internal Affairs said applicants would get up to six attempts over two periods divided by at least 30 working days.

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".

The test would last up to 45 minutes on 20 multi-choice questions "randomly selected from a wider pool".

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.

"We are seeking indicative pricing information to support budget and market analysis."

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.

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."

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.

Suppliers were asked to spell out what they could offer including "measures used to prevent cheating or unauthorised assistance".

Integrity controls should "deliver the most value over cost".

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Morning Report on Thursday it was self funding.

"You could take it or leave it," he said about the test, before going on to say it was "probably not a bad thing" to remind people of important things like equal rights and free speech.

"I just don't think there's any harm," adding it was similar to what the UK and Australia had done for years.

The tender said suppliers should show they could provide in-person tests in rural and urban centres year-round.

"Suppliers will also be expected to demonstrate how their services can support applicants with diverse accessibility needs, including physical access requirements and other reasonable accommodations."

Any system would have to fit with the department's identity verification via scanning and capturing a photo.

The test results had to be transmitted securely and all of it adhere to the Privacy Act and government security policies.

The tender required any responder to fill in a conflict of interest declaration.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.