British Treasury chief Philip Hammond revealed today while delivering his nation's first post-Brexit budget that New Zealanders will soon have an easier time flying into the United Kingdom.
"We'll open the use of e-passport gates at Heathrow and other airports, currently only available to EEA nationals, to include visitors from the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Japan," he told MPs in the House of Commons.
The automated self-service barriers use facial recognition software, replacing the need to stand in line for a desk staffed by an immigration officer.
Mr Hammond has not yet provided specifics on what guidelines travellers from New Zealand and the other countries he mentioned will have to meet to be eligible to use the gates. Currently, European Union members must be 12 years old or older and have a special passport embedded with a microchip.
Also during today's budget speech, Mr Hammond offered a modest uplift in public spending and few major tax increases, telling the assembled politicians that "the era of austerity is finally coming to an end", according to the Associated Press.
But he also warned that he might need to re-think the budget if Britain leaves the European Union in March without a divorce deal.
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