Digital Trust Hui Taumata, Leading the Conversation in Aotearoa

Aotearoa’s first Digital Trust Hui Taumata is taking place on Wednesday. While the event alone is significant enough, this month let’s look at the programme in more detail to consider what it might offer up in terms of the future for digital identity in New Zealand and around the world. To help with context, I offered my perspective on some emerging trends in the form of a Q&A here. 

We have been blessed with quite simply an extraordinary array of speakers bringing their expertise and experience from their respective backgrounds and perspectives. We have been privileged to have Janelle Riki-Waaka Chair the conference whose deep understanding of te ao Māori and its application to digital trust is unassailable. She is supported by a diverse cross section of experts from the public and private sectors. The Hon Dr David Clark follows the Chair’s opening remarks, and we will be listening for any insights regarding the range of legislation proposed under his watch, the most important of those to us at Digital Identity NZ being the Digital Identity Services Trust Framework (DISTF) Bill which has entered its Second Reading. Tamara Al Salim from NZDF (also Women in Identity’s New Zealand country ambassador) is next with the Opening Keynote – Trust in the Aotearoa context – followed by two panels playing forward the Trust theme inwards to developing more domestic capability and outwards to ask the question ‘Is Trust an exportable asset?’. 

Discussion over lunch however is bound to revolve around globally acclaimed UK speaker David Birch and his take on that amorphous concept, the Metaverse and whether Identity has anything to do with it. 

Dave is joined at the event by an Australian trio of speakers each with very different perspectives. Internationally acknowledged identerati aficionado Steve Wilson, will beam in with his view into the future as to how all the ‘infostructural’ pieces might fit together, while Gold Sponsor Okta’s April George will offer practical tips for implementing Zero Trust in organisations large and small. From the public sector across the Tasman, we are looking forward to an update from the DTA on the operationally more advanced but legislatively further behind Australian equivalent to New Zealand’s DISTF – the TDIF.     

The Australian showings will be more than matched by the locals. Silver Sponsor NEC NZ co-presenters Steven Graham and Graham Prentice will focus on current best practice, specifically in the field of Biometrics, followed by Lightning Rounds from Kiwi startups FranklyAI and JNCTN, while Ahau’s Kaye-Maree Dunn will provide perspectives on the user as the key stakeholder. The finale will feature representatives from the DIA leaving us with plenty to think about over drinks regarding the role of standards as the ultimate connector in this Hui’s range of topics alongside DIA’s overall reflections.

There’s audience participation planned too. To help the digestion of lunch, an hour’s Roundtable Discussion will begin the afternoon sessions, where delegates choose two topics from a range of options and meet with like-minded individuals, moderated by a Hui speaker or panellist.                

All up, the Hui Tumata is set to be insightful and thought-provoking, guaranteeing that delegates come away more informed and knowledgeable.  See you there!

Ngā Mihi nui,

Colin and the DINZ Executive Council