REVEALED: Government Steals $7.5 Million in Tourism Levies from Rejected Tourists

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal through Official Information Act request that Immigration New Zealand has collected $7,546,236 in International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levies (IVL) from people whose visa or NZeTA applications were rejected since 2022.

Between January 2022 and June 2025, 156,773 visa applications and 2,160 NZeTA requests were declined after paying the non-refundable levy. The Ministry justified the policy by saying refund mechanisms would impose “significant administrative costs” on the immigration system.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“This needs to be called what it is, a cash grab. Charging people a levy for conservation and tourism when they never even set foot in New Zealand makes no sense.”

“Immigration New Zealand is pocketing millions from would-be visitors who are told after the fact that their application failed.”

“If the Government can process nearly 160,000 rejections, it can process refunds. The current approach is unfair, and only risks hurting brand New Zealand to the rest of the world.”