printer icon
Digital Identity New Zealand

Digital Identity NZ – Major initiatives for 2025-26:

  1. Investable Value Proposition for members and partners
  2. Aotearoa NZ Inc Communication Strategy and Go-To-Market Narrative aligned to Te Ao Māori data sovereignty principles (e.g. taonga, tikanga & kaitiakitanga)
  3. Trusted Aotearoa NZ Inc ecosystem architecture and sovereign data infrastructure

There is increasing consensus that an effective, use case and benefits focused communication framework is crucial to market adoption. 

Working groups will build momentum around demand-side adoption and a trusted vendor ecosystem.

Key Takeaways for Members

The Time is Now for Trusted Decentralized Identity:

  • Global Drivers: Trading partners and visitors are adopting interoperable credentials, requiring NZ exporters and operators to adapt.
  • Domestic Demand: Banks, insurers, corporate NZ, government agencies and SME sector face unsustainable delivery, compliance and fraud costs and increasing risks / chaos
  • Technology Maturity: Open-standard wallets, zero-knowledge proofs, and consent dashboards are ready for safe and privacy enhancing adoption 

Key Value Drivers and Critical Success Factors:

  • Security, machine readable traceability and privacy by design
  • National DISTF Trust-Mark & Open Standards for an interoperable framework.
  • Government & Tier-1 Procurement Mandates to drive adoption.
  • Cross-Sector collaboration to demonstrate ROI in various sectors (public services, banking, health, exports, SMEs)

The plan outlines significant economic opportunities over the next five years from DISTF credential marketplace adoption.

CategoryDetails / Metrics
National 5-Year UpsideNZD 8–16 B mid case combined cost savings, fraud reduction, export premiums and new-revenue uplift. Higher if combined with NZD stablecoin enabled trade.
Typical Project Payback18–36 months, Fastest ROI: Financial services, Government services, Health, Agriculture/food exports, SMEs (eInvoicing + KYB reuse)
Public-Sector Efficiency20–30 % reduction in manual verification tasks (cross-agency VC issuance & consent dashboards)
Fraud / Leakage Reduction30–50 % decrease in high-risk processes (banking, benefits, e-commerce, health)

Complete sector breakdown:

SectorEstimated 5-Year Value (NZD)Primary Value Levers
Financial Services$1.2–2.0 BReusable KYC/KYB, instant onboarding, fraud loss reduction, account credentials
Government & Social Services$1.0–1.8 BGovernment app / wallet upgrade with reusable entitlement credentials, e-signatures, e-voting pilots
Health & Aged Care$1.3–2.2 BPatient/provider credentials, e-prescriptions, research data sharing
Education & Skills$0.4–0.8 BSkills passports, micro-credential wallets
Agriculture & Food$1.1–1.9 BExport provenance, license to operate, biosecurity, monitoring, product passports
Transport & Logistics$0.7–1.4 BChain-of-custody, border clearance, verified telematics, traceability
Energy & Utilities$0.5–1.0 BSmart-meter attestations, carbon/REC tracking
Construction & Property$0.6–1.1 BDigital building consents, product passports
Tourism & Visitor Economy$0.5–0.9 BVerified traveller profiles, seamless border flows, personalised concierge
Retail & Consumer$0.6–1.2 BAge assurance, product authenticity, loyalty portability
Media & Creative$0.3–0.7 BContent provenance credentials, creator rights & royalties
SMEs & Professional Services$0.9–1.6 BeInvoicing, verified suppliers, payroll/workforce credentials, automation
Digital Identity New Zealand A purpose driven, inclusive, membership funded organisation, whose members have a shared passion for the opportunities that digital identity can offer. Digital Identity NZ supports a sustainable, inclusive and trustworthy digital future for all New Zealanders.