Identification Standards Interim Review

Overview

The Department of Internal Affairs (the Department) seeks your views on the proposals outlined in this consultation paper for proposed changes to the Identification Standards. These proposed changes have been identified with increased use of the standards. 

Background 

The New Zealand Identification Standards (the Standards) work together to provide assurance that an organisation has the right information about the right entities, helping minimise the risk of identity theft and fraud. Each Standard has had at least 1 revision since they were published in 2021. 

This review of the Standards marks the first anniversary of the commencement of their use as part of the Digital Identity Services Trust Framework. This review includes feedback and issues that were raised from organisations that have interacted with the Standards.

Why your views matter

These proposals are about technical changes to controls within the 4 Identification Standards. The proposals include: 

• Inclusive language – replacing terms that carry a gender, hierarchy, class or cultural bias with more acceptable terms
• Binding – updating existing and adding new binding related controls to better reflect common methods
• Biometric recognition – changes to reflect the maturing field of biometric recognition systems
• Federation – changes that affect how the Objectives for credential providers and facilitation providers are presented in the Standards

Feedback received from users and observers of the Standards informed the selection and development of the proposed updates. The Department identified the preferred options for the proposals in this paper.

Next steps

The Department will analyse submissions received and use the findings to inform developing new versions of the Standards.

The new versions of the Identification Standards will be published from March 2026 at this link: https://www.digital.govt.nz/standards-and-guidance/identity/identification-management/identification-standards