At Cuscal Paymark, we’ve spent decades helping shape how New Zealanders pay. From the early days of EFTPOS to today’s digital payments, we’ve been part of making transactions faster, simpler and more secure.

Now, we’re entering the next phase of digital interaction where payments, identity and data come together to create more seamless experiences.

That’s why we’re proud to support Digital Trust Hui. It’s an important moment for our industry to step back and ask a critical question: are we building solutions that people actually understand …and trust?

The promise of digital identity

Digital identity has huge potential.

Done well, it can give people more control over their information, protect their privacy, reduce friction, and unlock better digital experiences. It can make it easier to prove who you are, share verified information safely, and complete everyday tasks in seconds.

But there’s a catch.

That promise only works if people understand what’s happening and feel confident using it.

The gap we can’t ignore

Our research shows there’s a growing gap between what the industry is building and what consumers actually understand.

For many people, “digital identity” is still an unfamiliar term. Others confuse it with passwords or account logins. The language we use ,  things like “data sharing”, “consent”, or even “identity” itself don’t always land in the way we expect.

That matters, because when people don’t understand something, they’re less likely to trust it.

And trust is often conditional.

People want to know:
Who can see my data?
Who’s responsible if something goes wrong?

If those answers aren’t clear, the default response is simple — they opt out.

Value needs to be clear

There’s another challenge. For many consumers, the benefits of digital identity aren’t yet obvious.

If the value isn’t clear or immediate, the perceived risk can outweigh the reward. That creates hesitation, even when the technology itself is safe and well designed.

Put simply, we are designing for a level of understanding that just doesn’t exist today.

Why this matters

This isn’t just a communication issue, it’s a real risk to progress.

If people don’t trust or adopt digital identity solutions, even the best infrastructure won’t deliver value. Adoption slows. Innovation stalls. And we miss the opportunity to create truly connected, secure digital experiences.

We’ve seen this before in payments.

New technology only succeeds when people can see how it fits into their everyday lives. Contactless payments, mobile wallets and online checkout all grew because they were simple, familiar and clearly useful.

The same principle applies here.

What needs to change

As an industry, we need to shift how we think about digital identity.

First, we need to make it easier to understand. That means using plain language, not technical terms. It means explaining how things work in a way that feels relevant to real life.

Second, we need to build visible trust. People need to know who’s involved, how their information is protected, and what happens if something goes wrong.

And finally, we need to clearly show the value. If digital identity can save time, reduce effort, improve security, or protect privacy, those benefits need to be obvious from the start.

Our role

At Cuscal Paymark, we believe trust is built over time through consistent, reliable experiences.

We’ve spent decades doing that in payments, connecting businesses, banks and consumers across New Zealand. As we move into new areas like open banking and digital identity, that same commitment to trust remains at the core of what we do.

Digital Trust Hui is an opportunity to bring industry, government and technology partners together to close the gap and ensure we’re building solutions that work for everyone.

Because the future of digital interaction won’t just be shaped by what’s possible.

It will be shaped by what people understand and trust enough to use.