While the ease of using eGates to fast-track moving through airports is well known, it's restricted to those 12 years and over in New Zealand because of the challenges of measuring biometric data on growing children.
At an eGate, a passport is scanned and automatically checked instead of it being done by a border officer, in some countries it's called an automated border control system (ABC).
The UK Government has just announced an expansion of the service to 10 and 11-year-olds, of which 400,000 are expected to use the system this year as international travel picks up again post-pandemic.
A spokesperson for New Zealand Customs told 1News the age limit will stay at 12 at least until next year. Originally the eGate access at international airports was restricted to passengers over 16 years of age when it was first introduced in 2009. It was then lowered to allow 12-year-olds following “extensive analysis” of biometric performance in younger children.
"New Zealand’s eGates use the facial biometric inside the eChip of a passenger’s passport. This is accessed and then compared to the photo that is taken of the passenger at the eGate," the spokesperson said.
"The biometric comparison is based on the dimensions and measurements of the face. Where the match is considered to be accurate enough that the person within the gate is the same as the person shown in the passport, the passenger is then allowed to advance through the gate exit."
There are a number of factors that can impact on this process and biometric performance, including environmental factors such as lighting in the area, the quality of the biometric in the passport, and how much time has passed since the biometric within the passport was created.
"Specifically with respect to children, the challenges are created by the fact that children are still growing and developing. This means the dimensions and measurements of their faces are changing more quickly than with adults. There are also a number of facial features that change as a child grows.
“The biometric performance of the technology reduces for children the younger they are. At the time, reducing the age to 12 was considered to pose minimal additional challenges,” the spokesperson said.
“Customs continues to consider further reductions in the age and has recently completed a software upgrade. This has improved biometric performance in a number of areas and we are assessing what type of changes may be possible as a result.”
Customs does not outsource eGate biometrics, the eGates are however provided by Idemia, as is the software that operates on the gates. This includes the algorithms that undertakes the biometric comparisons.
As Customs scraps the Passenger Arrival Cards in favour of an online alternative, the likelihood of lowering eGate access will increase.
The spokesperson said eGate settings will be reviewed in 2024 once the New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) has been implemented, “and the age of the user is likely to be one aspect of that”.
International travel numbers have already swelled to almost double those of last year.
In June, a total of 406,061 passengers arrived in New Zealand, compared with 206,394 in June 2022, according to the latest numbers from MPI.
The idea of dropping passport use between New Zealand and Australia was discussed yesterday between both prime ministers.
Chris Hipkins said he and Anthony Albanese, who has been visiting New Zealand, agreed to put together a joint Australia-New Zealand expert group to "scope initiatives to move closer towards seamless travel across the Tasman".
He said the plan has a "clear deadline" of 12 months.
In Australia, citizens aged between 10 and 15 can use the automated system as long as they are travelling with at least two adults.
Many European countries only allow children over 12 to use the ABC and can only do so if they are EU citizens.
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