I'm surprised they didn't change the laws about needing a passport to travel batween the US and Canada ages ago. I mean, you get your retinas scanned and your fingerprints taken when you enter the transit lounge at LAX. The transit lounge, where you don't get further than about 200m from your plane and you're going to get chased down by the airport police and what have you anyway if you even think of leaving the room before it's time to re-board.

Guess my perspective is a little different though - you need a passport to go anywhere from NZ, I was on my parents' passports since I was born (you can't do this anymore, though; even teeny little babies need one of their own now) and I've had my own since I was seven.