Council Elections, DISTF Milestone, and End-of-Year Highlights | November Newsletter

Kia ora,

While the US elections took the media limelight this month, I’d like to remind our members of another election of more local significance—Digital Identity NZ’s annual election to vote candidates onto our Executive Council—so we can continue the drive towards a robust and equitable digital identity ecosystem.

Voting closes next Monday 25th, with successful candidates announced at the Annual Meeting on December 5th.

👋 Welcoming New Members

A warm welcome to our newest members: api connects, Deloitte, and SushLabs. It’s great to see our community growing, and we look forward to the fresh perspectives they bring.

💰 Banking in the Spotlight – ANZ and BNZ Announcements

Major corporate members ANZ and BNZ were in the news this month with banking tech-related statements—ANZ announcing its partnership with Qippay, and BNZ announcing its acquisition of Blinkpay soon after the release of its new anti-scam app to reduce fraud. 

Open Banking is gaining traction in Aotearoa, with 80% of consumer bank accounts now covered by open banking initiatives. This data was surfaced in the recently launched OpenFinanceANZ report and ecosystem map which was supported by our member PaymentsNZ alongside MasterCard, Fintech Australia and our NZTech Group partner FinTechNZ. Check out FinTechNZ’s report highlights here.

🛠️ DISTF Milestone and DINZ’s Support

Hon. Judith Collins announced the finalisation of the Digital Identity Services Trust Framework (DISTF), with the milestone picked up internationally by Biometric Update. The announcement contained a link to this sub-site for the Trust Framework with new details regarding the accreditation process hitherto unseen by industry.

Despite our initial surprise, DINZ released its own statement in support as we prepare to re-engage with officials. DINZ’s DISTF Working Group is the forum for accreditation discussions and we’re here to support our members with DISTF education. We encourage organisations with views regarding DISTF accreditation to get in touch.

🤝 Code of Practice for Inclusive and Ethical Digital Identity

DINZ is pleased to release an advanced draft of its code of practice for the inclusive and ethical use of digital identity. This code of practice provides a roadmap for ethical and inclusive digital identity practices in New Zealand.

It benefits DINZ members by providing a framework for responsible conduct, and the broader digital identity ecosystem by fostering trust, promoting inclusivity, and ensuring alignment with national and international standards. This code is a work in progress, shared to spark reflection and dialogue. Together, let’s shape a future where digital identity empowers and respects the rights and dignity of all people in New Zealand. 

In order to progress to a published code of practice, we need your feedback. We encourage our members to read the draft and provide feedback here >>

💡DIA Training Schedule Confirmed

Identification management plays a core role in our work, and members should have a foundational level of understanding about what it is and how it impacts your customers. Good identification management helps reduce and/or prevent fraud, loss of privacy and identity theft, by applying good practices and processes.

Topics covered in DIA Training Courses:

• Identification Essentials (G1)
• Names and other Information (G2)
• Introduction to Identification Standards (G3)
• Biometrics 101 (G4)

Here is the schedule of courses between November and February. 

Online learning at your own pace:

• Identification Essentials (G1) Learn more >
• Names and Other Information (G2) Learn more > 

Half-day Zoom courses:

• Thursday 5 December | 9am-12pm | G3 & G4
• Wednesday 22 January | 9am-12pm | G1 & G2
• Wednesday 26 February | 9am-12pm | G3 & G4

Interested in signing up for any of the Zoom sessions? Email identity@dia.govt.nz with the G or HD reference number.  A Zoom link will be supplied to those registered.

👁️ Addressing Bias in Biometrics

Recent media coverage regarding claims of racial bias in facial biometrics has prompted the DINZ Biometrics Special Interest Group to look into the feasibility of a consented dataset of Kiwi faces using its independence to take the role of custodian, facilitating subsequent software testing to address bias and accuracy.

Modest funding will be required so please get in touch if you would like to support this critical work. It’s essential for all public and private sector organisations deploying biometrics. On that note, we’re looking forward to NEC’s webinar next Tuesday. 

🗓️ Reflecting on 2024 and Looking Ahead

This is the last newsletter for 2024—published during International Fraud Awareness Week—where progress on Digital Identity is essential for reducing the impact of scams in Aotearoa, as it plays a crucial role in enabling broader participation in the digital economy.

The DISTF Act’s implementation, the Customer Product and Data bill with open banking and possibly electricity as sectors designated for regulation, revisions to the AML regime, Next Generation Payments, the emergence of digital identity acceptance networks, the digital farm wallet for the rural sector, and the digital drivers licence coming ever closer, have all contributed to the growing vibrancy and diversity of an emergent digital trust ecosystem. It’s good progress but there’s more work to do.

We’ll resume our newsletters again after the holidays, so we close the year out with the Coffee Chat in a fortnight. So on behalf of the Executive Council and the DINZ team, we wish you a Meri Kirihimete 🎄 me te tau hou.

Ngā mihi,
Colin Wallis
Executive Director, Digital Identity NZ

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Read the full news here: Council Elections, DISTF Milestone, and End-of-Year Highlights

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