20373 (2026). Ricardo Menéndez March to the Minister of Immigration

20373 (2026). Ricardo Menéndez March to the Minister of Immigration: Under the proposed amendments to section 280 of the Immigration Act 2009, is it intended that a person who is lawfully in New Zealand but unable or unwilling to immediately provide proof of identity be detained pending verification of their identity?

Hon Erica Stanford: The power to detain is only invoked where the person does not have a good reason for not sharing their identity details or their identity documents, and detention is proportionate with the need to establish identity.