Identity verification service: Public consultation on until 7 December

19/11/2007

There is still time to have your say on the government’s proposed new identity verification service that will allow people to prove their identity to government agencies, online and in real time to a high level of confidence.

Public consultation on the new service has been underway since 1 November, and submissions are open until 4pm on Friday 7 December.

The identity verification service will be provided as a part of the All-of-Government Authentication Programme being led by the State Services Commission. The working title for all of the services offered to the public by the Authentication Programme is “igovt”. Igovt is a group of online services aimed at helping people interact with government agencies securely and conveniently.

The identity verification service will be a completely optional service that people can join or leave at any time. Its aim is to provide users with a quick, easy, secure way to access government agencies online. It will not replace other ways to establish identity.

Sue Boland, Acting General Manager, Identity Services for DIA, says that she is keen to see a strong response to the consultation.

“Public consultation is an important part of the development of the new service. I really want New Zealanders to be involved”.

“The service has been designed as a secure, reliable, online service that will protect users’ privacy and safeguard their personal information. At the same time, it will give government agencies involved in the service, confidence that users are who they say they are. The new service will enable New Zealanders to use a single, secure logon to access government services that involve the exchange of money or personal information.

“With identity fraud becoming more and more common, it’s important for people to be able to access services online safely and securely. At the same time, we have to ensure that agencies can be confident of the user’s identity without the cost and effort of repeatedly having to submit documents. If we get this right, both parties benefit.”

Ms Boland says that with submissions open until 7 December, there is still plenty of time for people to have their say.

“We want people to know how the service will work, and we want to know what they think of it. The service was developed to make it easier for New Zealanders to prove who they are and get access to a wide range of government services online. We need to know if people think we’ve got it right.”

Submissions can be made online or forms downloaded from www.dia.govt.nz/idconsult

Further information about the consultation process is available on freephone 0800 idconsult (0800 432 667).

For media enquiries, contact Marc Piercey, Senior Communications Advisor, 04 382 3401, 027 471 4173, or marc.piercey@dia.govt.nz.