Latest / Best of Business / Louise Upston: National's tourism spokesperson on the party pledging to make trans-Tasman travel more seamless

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Louise Upston: National's tourism spokesperson on the party pledging to make trans-Tasman travel more seamless · Best of Business

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from Newstalk ZB. Follow this
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio. National,
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: on the other hand, is pitching something altogether different. It
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  Speaker 1: wants to make trans-Tasman travel more seamless. It's promising to
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  Speaker 1: work with Australia so we don't have to present our passports.
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  Speaker 1: Under this trial, we would submit our passport details and
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  Speaker 1: digital declaration on a smartphone before we take off. And
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  Speaker 1: then Immigration, Customs and Biosecurity agencies would assess the passenger
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  Speaker 1: information before we land. Nationals Tourism spokesperson is Louise Upston. Hi, Louise.
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  Speaker 2: Hi, Heather.
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  Speaker 1: So how would this be different to what we do
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  Speaker 1: already with the e-gates?
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  Speaker 2: So what it means that you don't have to get
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  Speaker 2: your physical passport out and put it through the e-gate.
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  Speaker 2: So what we're trying to do is make it more seamless,
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  Speaker 2: make it faster and easier for travel between Australia and
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  Speaker 2: New Zealand, because, of course, we want more Australians to
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  Speaker 2: come on over.
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  Speaker 1: So you still have to go through the e-gate, do you?
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  Speaker 2: Yes, so basically what we want to do is set
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  Speaker 2: up a trial. If you look at other countries like
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  Speaker 2: Singapore that have used a seamless travel through airports, they've
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  Speaker 2: reduced the time by about 60%. So anything we can
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  Speaker 2: do to make it easier, smoother and more efficient through
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  Speaker 2: our airports, we're really keen to do.
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  Speaker 1: So you walked up to the air gate, you got
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  Speaker 1: a little bit of paper or something, do you pop
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  Speaker 1: that in?
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  Speaker 2: No, you use your phone. You use your phone and
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  Speaker 2: then your face, which is the biometric technology. And so
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  Speaker 2: it's really the next logical step. Obviously, in 2009, when
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  Speaker 2: National was last in office, we got the smart gate technology.
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  Speaker 2: And so this is really the next step, which means
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  Speaker 2: you don't have to have your physical passport as you're
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  Speaker 2: moving through the airport. Okay.
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  Speaker 1: So if you're going through, so you're going to a
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  Speaker 1: Harry Styles concert in Sydney in, I don't know, let's say, December,
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  Speaker 1: not thinking of anybody here. Normally what you would do, myself, obviously, Louise,
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  Speaker 1: if you didn't catch that. Indeed, indeed. Just in case. Now,
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  Speaker 1: normally what I would do is I'd go in, I'd
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  Speaker 1: put my passport in, they'd scan my face, I'd get
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  Speaker 1: my bag, I'd go through biosecurity. The only difference now
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  Speaker 1: is that I'm going to put my phone there, not
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  Speaker 1: my passport. I'm going through biosecurity, yeah?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so basically if you're doing it the other way around,
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  Speaker 2: so when you're coming back for Australians coming over, they
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  Speaker 2: have the New Zealand Traveller Declaration. It means immigration's got
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  Speaker 2: that information before somebody gets on the plane. And so therefore,
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  Speaker 2: it is faster when you're coming through. Look, if they
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  Speaker 2: have concerns about someone, and it would never be someone
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  Speaker 2: like you, Heather, they still have the ability to then
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  Speaker 2: pull someone aside and ask them questions. So we're not
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  Speaker 2: skipping any of the measures that we currently have in
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  Speaker 2: New Zealand, but it just means it's faster. And immigration
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  Speaker 2: can do those checks before you leave. And then you
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  Speaker 2: don't have to, you know, show your physical passport when
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  Speaker 2: you're moving through the airport.
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  Speaker 1: Why I'm asking you about this is because as it is,
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  Speaker 1: it is already such a fast process. Is it really
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  Speaker 1: going to save me that much time?
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  Speaker 2: Well, that's why we want to do a trial, obviously.
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  Speaker 2: But if you look at what's happened in other countries
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  Speaker 2: like Singapore, there's been significant time saving. And what we
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  Speaker 2: want to do is reduce the friction. So anything that
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  Speaker 2: makes it easier. for Australians to come to New Zealand. Look,
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  Speaker 2: they might be coming for holidays. They might be coming
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  Speaker 2: for business purposes or to visit friends and family. And
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  Speaker 2: actually the same for New Zealanders going back the other way.
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  Speaker 2: That's why we thought we would have the trial in
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  Speaker 2: place in time for the T20 cricket tournament, because we
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  Speaker 2: know there'll be loads of Kiwis and Aussies crossing the
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  Speaker 2: ditch at that time. So it makes sense for us
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  Speaker 2: to have a trial ready to go by then. Okay.
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  Speaker 1: Whose idea was that great idea of getting Michelin's attention
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  Speaker 1: by having the dinner out under the stars?
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  Speaker 2: I can't answer that one. But look, we are very,
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  Speaker 2: very pleased.
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  Speaker 1: Because you don't know? Because it's a secret.
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  Speaker 2: No, I wasn't aware of that.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, Louise, you've got to go read the papers. Somebody, somebody.
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  Speaker 2: I've been a little busy today here.
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  Speaker 1: Not fair enough.
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  Speaker 2: We've had a fantastic announcement. And look, what I do
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  Speaker 2: want to say is, you know, from... New Zealand's perspective,
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  Speaker 2: having Michelin in New Zealand has been a fantastic step forward.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, but Louise, you've got to go and read this
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  Speaker 1: and you've got to find the person whose idea this
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  Speaker 1: was because whoever came up with this idea is literally
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  Speaker 1: the person we have to thank for the Michelin stars.
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  Speaker 1: They've done a great job.
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  Speaker 2: Excellent. Well, I shall find that person and say thank
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  Speaker 2: you very, very much.
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  Speaker 1: Chocolate fish for them. Louise, thank you.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you.
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  Speaker 1: Louise Upston, Nationals tourism spokesperson. I'll tell you that yarn
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  Speaker 1: in a tick. It's brilliant yarn. But listen, thank you.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for hitting me on the, you and I, ESP,
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  Speaker 1: is this announcement from National actually a game changer? Heather,
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  Speaker 1: using the phone is slower. Good grief.
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  Speaker 2: That's what I.
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  Speaker 1: Think as well. Think about this, right? You're walking up
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  Speaker 1: to the e-gate. I don't know if you've gone to
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  Speaker 1: Australia recently, but honestly, it is so seamless. I wouldn't
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  Speaker 1: even muck around with it. Like, this is really no
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  Speaker 1: problem at all. Go up to the e-gate, you chuck
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  Speaker 1: your passport in, you get it out, off you go
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  Speaker 1: with your little ticket and done. Basically, that's it. Like,
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  Speaker 1: hardly even have to talk to a person. I reckon
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  Speaker 1: I would have more difficulty having to go find my
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  Speaker 1: phone in my bag and then log in with my
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  Speaker 1: face and then find the appropriate app. I reckon in
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  Speaker 1: this case, the passport's the winner.