NZTD 4+

So much better than the paper

The app is great for filling out the declaration. Roughly the same questions as on the form, so if you use common sense (that some other reviewers don’t seem to have) then it’s a great way to provide this information. For those like me who don’t have great handwriting, it’s fantastic. Don’t know why other countries aren’t doing the same.
Only problem is since the last app update there’s an error about loading necessary data. Could be the on going Azure issues, could be a bug

Needs improvement

Great idea but poorly executed the biosecurity questions are such “catch alls”, you end up declaring things that shouldn’t really be caught. E.g. do you have any outdoor gear?! By virtue of the fact I am at the airport talking to a biosecurity officer tells you the answer is obv yes. Do I wear shoes? Yes. Did I swim in a pool in my shorts? Yes. Really?! Also, it asks me to complete it for my 3yr old, so obv they do not know the contents of their bags. What 3yo does? So immediate flag for either false declaring they do or because they declared they don’t know contents of their bag despite parents knowing. Better functionality for families and declarations is needed here. In all honesty, a great idea to speed things up, but it seems like it’s been rushed out before it’s ready. Budget cuts maybe… UPDATE: Developer response pointed me to further guidance on their website. Doesn’t deal with the point.

Developer Response ,

Kia ora, thanks for the feedback. If you require further guidance about the questions asked in the declaration this can be found on the NZTD website https://www.travellerdeclaration.govt.nz/completing-your-declaration/#new-zealand-traveller-declaration-completing-your-declaration-short-version
If you complete a declaration using our web form, additional question guidance is available directly on-screen.

Absolutely terrible

Contains zero features that you would expect from an app like this.
Has a HUGE bug that doesn’t let you submit your declaration if you fill it in while offline and then later connect to Wi-Fi to submit (which is a stated feature). It gives a validation error on the last screen BUT it actually does submit even though it says there was an error. This means you end up submitting your declaration multiple times.

What they don’t tell you is that there is a delay from when you submit the declaration to when it arrives at the checkpoint. So if your crappy Qantas flight has no Wi-Fi and you fill it in while on the plane and submit as soon as you arrive at the airport then your declaration will be missing. It took 4 of their staff to scratch their heads and then made us go back in line and fill in paper versions for our whole family.

Developer Response ,

Kia ora. We appreciate your feedback and are sorry you’ve been experiencing issues with the app. If you contact us at https://www.travellerdeclaration.govt.nz/contact/#send-us-a-message with more details we can look into what happened and why.