Minister of Internal Affairs, Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship, chalking December up as a record month for completions.
December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024.
“This is a 54% increase compared to the 3,685 applications completed during December 2023,” says Ms van Velden.
“I have asked the Department to focus efforts on reducing the number of outstanding applications, and I am pleased to see progress being made. The number of work-in-progress applications has dropped from 28,544 on 27 November 2023 to 18,749 in January 2025, a drop of 34%.”
At the start of December 2024, the oldest applications being picked up for processing for the first time were submitted a year prior. As of January 2025, the oldest applications being picked up are from late March 2024, said the Minister.
She says the Department has been working to cross-skill staff to process passport, citizenship, and digital identity [RealMe] applications.
“I know that receiving the grant of New Zealand citizenship is a significant moment in a person’s life, and I have heard from many individuals about the impact that delays to obtaining citizenship can have on them and their family. I will continue to remain focussed on reducing citizenship wait times and ensuring high standards of service,” says Ms van Velden.
In December, the Department also launched a public dashboard showing measures of output and average processing time across their life and identity products, including citizenship.
The dashboard can be accessed here: https://www.dia.govt.nz/Life-and-Identity-Services-Performance-Measures-Dashboard.