25928 (2026). Hon Phil Twyford to the Minister of Immigration

Written Question

Published date: 19 Jun 2026

Metadata

Document type:	Written Question
Parliament number:	54
Question number:	25928 (2026)
Question asked:	04 Jun 2026
Member asking:	Hon Phil Twyford
Portfolio:	Minister of Immigration
Minister replying:	Hon Erica Stanford
Answer received:	15 Jun 2026
Status:	Question Answered
Reply type:	Reply
Document ID:	WQ_25928_2026
Document guid:	54f826b9-8f62-4092-823f-de6b6ffd707f

25928 (2026). Hon Phil Twyford to the Minister of Immigration: Has Artificial Intelligence been used as part of the Biometric Capability Upgrade; if so, how much has been spent on Artificial Intelligence software?

Hon Erica Stanford: INZ has used Artificial Intelligence in the form of biometric matching algorithms since 2016. One of the goals of the Biometric Capability Update (BCU) was to update the biometric algorithms responsible for facial and fingerprint matching. The BCU did not use any other form of (analytical, predictive, generative, or agentic) Artificial Intelligence. The cost of the updated biometric matching algorithms formed part of the overall cost of the BCU solution. The BCU project has now been discontinued and a review into its failure will be commissioned by the Public Service Commission.