Air New Zealand planning to use biometrics to verify passengers

July 17, 2017
Stephen Mayhew

Air New Zealand’s long-term plans include using biometrics to verify passengers’ identities prior to boarding. The airline recently introduced a new mobile app that scans and saves passport information and also triggers expiry reminders including providing click through links to renew New Zealand, Australian, British and American passports. According to a recent media release, customers using the app will enjoy a faster check-in experience. Air New Zealand’s Chief Digital Officer Avi Golan says customers can look forward to an increasingly

Safran Identity & Security’s biometric kiosks undergoing testing at Christchurch Airport

April 7, 2017
Justin Lee

Safran Identity & Security announced that New Zealand Customs is testing the company’s automated border control solution for families traveling together, on departures at Christchurch Airport. The family processing solution extends the automated border control capability of the familiar eGates to families, groups and assisted travellers. Until now, families with children under the age of 12 and assisted travellers were unable to use automated eGates and therefore had to use manual booth for customs and immigration checks. “It’s wonderful that

Safran Identity & Security installs biometric egates at Christchurch airport

December 12, 2016
Stephen Mayhew

Through its subsidiary Morpho Australasia, Safran Identity & Security has completed installing biometric border processing egates at Christchurch Airport in New Zealand. This installation is part of national upgrade and innovation program for the New Zealand Customs Service (NZ Customs). Once completed there will be a total of 51 eGates nation-wide (this is across Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown, and Christchurch airports). The final phase of the expansion project will be in Auckland in 2017 Since 2009, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch airports

MasterCard research shows New Zealanders embracing digital payments, biometrics

February 11, 2016
Stephen Mayhew

New research from MasterCard shows New Zealanders are embracing digital payments with 49% expecting mobile devices, biometrics and wearables to replace cash in ten years’ time, according to a report in NetGuide. In fact, 36% of consumers surveyed said they could live without cash and only use emerging payment technologies in just a few years’ time and 41% of people say they would already consider using contactless technology on their smartphone. When asked about new payment technologies, 44% think mobile

Air New Zealand installs biometric bag drop at Auckland airport

December 10, 2015
Justin Lee

Air New Zealand announced that it has introduced biometrics-enabled self-service bag drop for customers departing from Auckland International Airport. The biometric self-service bag drop complements the airline’s existing online check-in option and the self-service kiosks in the terminal, enabling travelers to assume complete control of their check-in experience. The bag drop uses facial recognition technology similar to that used by SmartGate passport control facilities. Travelers scan their passports and boarding passes and have their identities verified by a camera using

Australia considering cloud-based passports

October 28, 2015
Justin Lee

Australia and New Zealand are in talks to trial a passport-less travel system in which a traveller’s identity and biometrics data would be stored in the cloud, according to a report by The Sydney Morning Herald. By storing traveller’s passport data in the cloud, passengers would no longer be required to travel with their passports and run the risk of having them lost or stolen. The idea for cloud passports was one of 10 finalists in the “DFAT Ideas challenge”

Morpho wins NZ Customs eGates contract, forms biometrics research partnership

September 11, 2015
Justin Lee

Morpho (Safran) announced that it signed a new 5-year agreement with New Zealand Customs Services (NZCS) through to 2020. The announcement comes a couple of months after it was revealed that the New Zealand government is investing asset sales to fund an additional 29 next-generation SmartGates at its airports. As a result, NZCS will rollout an initial nine new generation Morpho e-Gates this year at Auckland international airport, with the option to purchase new and replacement gates over the next

New Zealand government to purchase 29 new SmartGates

July 23, 2015
Justin Lee

The New Zealand government is investing asset sales to fund an additional 29 next-generation SmartGates at its airports, according to a report by the New Zealand Herald. Customs Minister Nicky Wagner announced the government has allocated more than $6 million from the Future Investment Fund to purchase the extra self-service biometric machines to process passengers using an e-Passport scanner and biometric data. The government will purchase a total of 29 nine next-generation SmartGates, with nine machines installed this year, and

New Zealand tax department’s voice identification feature enrolls 1.4M users

June 11, 2015
Justin Lee

New Zealand has managed to sign up 1.4 million Inland Revenue Department customers for Voice ID since it introduced the voice biometric identification feature more than three years ago. The Voice ID feature has also managed to save the country more than 15,000 hours of phone time each year, said Minister Todd McClay. “This cements New Zealand’s position as the country with the highest level of voice biometric enrolments per capita in the world, and is a big win in

South African bank, Department of Home Affairs combine biometric databases

April 13, 2015
Justin Lee

South Africa’s Capitec Bank and the Department of Home Affairs have combined their biometric databases in an effort to curb identity fraud, according to a report by Business Tech. Since launching in 2001, the bank has stored its customers’ fingerprint data in a database for the purpose of verifying their identities for banking transactions. With this latest partnership with the Department of Home Affairs, Capitec’s biometric database now links to the agency’s database, “making it much harder for criminals to