The Māori Electoral Option gives New Zealanders of Māori descent the opportunity to choose whether they want to be on the Māori Electoral Roll or the General Electoral Roll when they vote in the next two General Elections.

This year Queen's Day (Koninginnedag) on 30th April will also mark the Queen's abdication and the investiture of her son as King Willem-Alexander.  Last year Queen's Day attracted 700,000 visitors to Amsterdam and Dutch authorities are expecting even greater numbers this year, including many VIPs which will necessitate strict security arrangements.   Dutch authorities recommend that, as much as possible, tourists and Dutch residents stay away from central Amsterdam and consider celebrating Queen's Day in other Dutch cities.

The New Zealand Embassy in The Hague will be undergoing maintenance works on 11 and 12 February 2013 which will make access to the embassy difficult at times.

Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain has announced that from Friday 2 November New Zealanders will pay less for their adult passport and be able to renew their passports online.