English to appear above te reo Māori in New Zealand passport redesign

Friday 25 July 2025 · 4 outlets · 4 reports · updated Fri 25 Jul 2025, 1:30pm

In this story Department of Internal Affairs, Brooke van Velden

The Minister for Internal Affairs has confirmed that New Zealand passports will be redesigned to place English text above te reo Māori. The new design is expected to be rolled out at the end of 2027 once existing stock has been used up.

How they headlined it

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1. NZ HeraldFri 25 Jul 2025, 5:00am

   Changes confirmed for New Zealand passport, placing English before te reo Māori (opens in new tab)

2. RNZFri 25 Jul 2025, 12:58pm

   English to appear above te reo Māori in New Zealand passport redesign (opens in new tab)

3. 1News via RNZFri 25 Jul 2025, 1:24pm

   NZ passport redesign to have English words above te reo Māori (opens in new tab)

4. Otago Daily TimesFri 25 Jul 2025, 1:30pm

   Passport redesign: English to re-appear above te reo Māori (opens in new tab)