12. NIKKI KAYE (National—Auckland Central) Link to this
to the Minister of Customs
What reports has he received into the integration of SmartGate between New Zealand and Australia?
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON (Minister of Customs) Link to this
Just another wonderful milestone in the ongoing saga of the roll-out of SmartGate.
Hon Simon PowerHon MAURICE WILLIAMSON Link to this
More good news indeed. Last month, in cooperation with the Australian Government, we began trialling the use of SmartGate between one city pair—that is, between Auckland and the Gold Coast airport at Coolangatta. For the first time, eligible passengers will be able to bypass SmartGate kiosks at the Gold Coast and go straight to the gate, if they use SmartGate in New Zealand, and vice versa. It will cut out one whole piece of the process. The trial will run for while, and then it is our intention to implement it right across all of the gates.
Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON Link to this
They come under the “better, cheaper, faster” heading that Tony Ryall is always—[ Interruption]—“better, sooner, more convenient” heading that Tony Ryall wants. So far 1.5 million people have used SmartGate. After Budget 2011 gave us six additional gates—and they are being rolled out over the Rugby World Cup period—we will have 22 gates operational in New Zealand, which is spectacular. The passenger response we are getting from emails is that it could not get any better. The processing time—