Life of new NZ passports chopped to five years

Stricter rules governing newly issued New Zealand passports come into effect today, including cutting their validity from 10 years to five years.

The changes strengthen the integrity and security of the New Zealand passport, the Department of Internal Affairs said in a statement.

Other changes include:

* From January 1 next year children born in New Zealand of non-permanent resident parents will no longer be able to claim citizenship status.

* The removal of preferential treatment for spouses of New Zealand citizens.

* Time spent in New Zealand on temporary permits no longer counts towards the qualifying period of residence for citizenship.

* Providing for the disclosure of New Zealand travel document information to assist border control authorities to identify people carrying unauthorised travel documents prior to departure

* Significantly increased penalties for offences under the Citizen Amendment Act.

The changes, which also affect citizenship requirements, were approved in Parliament last week.