From the article :
The trials will look at creating a clearance system similar to those used for passengers travelling from Canada into the United States and in Europe across European Union countries.

Canada to the US (by air) is exactly the same as any other country to the US, with the one exception that the US immigration occurs before you hop on the plane rather than after you get off. It's still exactly the same immigration staff, and exactly the same procedures, it's just physically in the departing country. This makes sense for Canada as it allows for flights from CA to land at any airport in the US, not only international airports (and there's a lot more airports in the US than in Canada), however it also means that the departure airport needs a sterile area and dedicated gates for cleared passengers. In many Canadian airports this means that you can't access the lounges if you're flying to the US, as they are in the wrong part of the airport.

Some European airports also have the same setup, although more and more airlines are avoiding them as they generally achieve little more than additional delays on the departing side. eg, in Dublin, AA stopped using the US pre-clearance area a few years ago as they achieve little more than delaying people getting to the gate, especially at busy times.


The European comparison (I presume they are referring to Schengen) doesn't make much sense either, unless they are planning for equivalent Visa requirements between AU and NZ.