21/01/2026 -: First accredited services mark the beginning of a more secure, privacy preserving digital identity system

21 January 2026

The Trust Framework Authority, a statutory body in the Department of Internal Affairs, has accredited New Zealand's first digital identity services under the Digital Identity Services Trust Framework.

NEC New Zealand Limited has become the first organisation in New Zealand to be accredited as a Trust Framework provider with four of its digital identity services receiving accreditation.

These services are delivered via a cloud application known as NEC's Identity Verification Service (IDVS) and can be used by businesses to onboard customers, issue credentials, or for anti-money laundering compliance. These services include online document verification, biometric matching and liveness detection.

As an accredited provider, NEC will be permitted to use the Trust Framework Accreditation Mark to signal to businesses, regulators and end-users that these services have been through a rigorous process to ensure they meet high standards for security, privacy and identification management.

James Little, Acting Director of the Digital Trust Framework, sees this as the beginning of a shift toward more secure, privacy preserving digital identity systems.

"It has never been more important for New Zealanders to be assured that the services handling their identity information online are secure and privacy preserving," he says.

"Accreditation under the Trust Framework is a rigorous, proactive, and continuous process for organisations to demonstrate to business customers and end users that their services meet robust standards.

"The announcement of today's first accreditation only marks the beginning; with more providers and services from across the public and private sector indicating their intention to seek accreditation, 2026 will be the year that New Zealanders have access to modern and trusted digital identity services."

ENDS

Media contact:
DIA Media Contact: [email protected] , +64 27 535 8639
NEC Media Contact: Liz Ackroyd, [email protected] , +61 405 707 161

Notes for editors

• The Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Act 2023 sets out a legal framework for providing secure and trusted digital identity services in New Zealand. Trust Framework - dia.govt.nz
• It establishes the Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Authority (Trust Framework Authority) as the regulator for accredited digital identity service providers in Aotearoa New Zealand.
• The Trust Framework Authority administers the accreditation process and assesses and decides on applications for Trust Framework accreditation. Applicants are assessed against requirements for security, privacy and identification management.
• NEC has been accredited as a Trust Framework provider and had four information and binding services accredited.
• An information service provides information about a person or organisation and provides a level of assurance about the accuracy of the information.
• A binding service confirms that the information belongs to the correct person or organisation by checking that it matches them specifically.