Security stepped up in new e-passport

New Zealand travellers will soon be carrying a stylish new e-passport bearing the silver fern and containing images of travel tools used by past and present explorers.

Internal Affairs Minister Nathan Guy yesterday announced the release of the new passport to enhance security and better reflect New Zealand's identity.

"The new security features will help to future-proof our passport against fraudsters and maintain visa-free entry for New Zealanders into more than 50 countries," he said.

"The New Zealand passport has an outstanding reputation around the world and these changes will further enhance that. As a country we need to take advantage of the latest advances in technology to maintain international confidence in our passport."

With English and Maori throughout, the new e-passport has a navigation theme with artwork of specific locations in the country.

Each page is different, making it more difficult to counterfeit. It has been tested with international border agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security in the United States.

The artwork was chosen by a group of New Zealand artists as well as by government officials. Over the next few months, the Internal Affairs Department will be slowly introducing the new passport, while also using up its existing stock.

E-passports were introduced in New Zealand in November 2005. They have an embedded microchip containing the holder's biometric information and digitised photograph.

The new versions and machines to read them will cost just under $100 million over five years. The price for a new passport will remain unchanged at $150 for adult standard service.