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Explore our one-day conference programme filled with inspiring keynote presentations, engaging panel discussions, and plenty of networking opportunities in the company of digital identity leaders from Aotearoa and around the world.
Registration opens – tea/coffee
Formalities begin
Opening and welcome from MC Ngapera Riley
Welcome from Digital Identity NZ Executive Director Andy Higgs.
Ministerial Address – Minister Judith Collins
Digital Identity and Sovereignty in the Age of AI: New Zealand’s Path to Leading the World’s First Decentralised Credential Ecosystem
Digital identity and artificial intelligence are reshaping society, yet they’re in direct tension. AI-generated content undermines identity systems while the absence of universal identity frameworks erodes online trust. This presents New Zealand with an unprecedented opportunity: becoming the world’s first fully decentralised credential identity ecosystem. With our Digital Identity Services Trust Framework and values-driven approach, we can leapfrog traditional models and align with 100M+ US mobile licenses and 400M+ EU wallets also based on decentralised systems. But leadership demands conscious choices about focus, tradeoffs, standards, and sovereignty. How do we balance global interoperability with national priorities? The next decade will determine whether we achieve true digital independence or surrender it to global tech giants.
Building New Zealand’s Digital Trust Infrastructure: DISTF Implementation and the Road Ahead
The Digital Identity Services Trust Framework represents a fundamental shift in how New Zealand approaches digital identity. This session provides a comprehensive update on the government’s digital identity initiatives, including the rollout of NZ Verify verification app, the all-of-government digital wallet, regulatory monetisation frameworks, and the establishment of a trust register as the authoritative source for government-issued credentials. Learn how the government is positioning itself as a trusted credential issuer and what this means for businesses and citizens navigating New Zealand’s evolving digital landscape.
Digital Identity: The Engine Driving Government Digitisation
How can digital identity become the backbone of delivering seamless government services? This keynote speech will delve into the role of trusted digital identity in transforming digital public service delivery, exploring use cases across the public service. Learn how initiatives across New Zealand are paving the way for a future where proving who you are is effortless, secure, and universally accessible.
Government officials and industry experts examine DISTF’s real-world implementation. Panelists discuss NZ Verify deployment challenges, regulatory monetisation strategies, and the government’s role as credential issuer. Explore how public-private partnerships are shaping New Zealand’s digital identity infrastructure and what businesses need to know about upcoming changes.
Moderated by Andy Higgs — Executive Director, Digital Identity New Zealand.
Panellists:
Myles Ward, Deputy Government Chief Digital Officer
Maria Robertson, Chair – Digital Identity New Zealand
Don Christie, Managing Director, Catalyst IT.
Tim Ransom, Health New Zealand
Break for morning tea.
Putting People First: Digital Identity for Everyday New Zealanders
How do we make digital identity work for real people in real situations? This session explores the practical applications of digital identity for natural persons, from early adopters embracing new technologies to everyday applications like proof of age and online verification. We’ll examine privacy considerations, the importance of user control, and how New Zealand’s ID assurance hierarchy creates a foundation for trustworthy digital interactions. Discover how borderless travel, bank-issued credentials, and innovative assurance solutions are transforming how citizens prove who they are in a digital world.
Deputy Privacy Commissioner Liz MacPherson explores the development of Aotearoa’s Biometrics Code of Practice and its role in fostering public trust in digital identity systems.
ID – an Individual’s Dignity
Chris Goh explores the role of digital identity in protecting and promoting individual dignity. Drawing on trans-Tasman efforts to harmonise credentials, he highlights the importance of inclusive, privacy-preserving systems that empower individuals and build trust across jurisdictions, services, and technologies.
Deputy Privacy Commissioner Liz MacPherson, Christopher Goh (Austroads), James Little (DIA), and Luke McIntyre (MATTR), examine making digital identity work for everyday New Zealanders. Panellists explore privacy frameworks, mobile driver’s license implementations, and government verification systems. Discover how regulatory guidance, cross-Tasman standards, and citizen-centred design are shaping accessible, trustworthy digital identity solutions for all.
Switching gears – digital identity for better operations and growth.
This presentation explores how digital identity can improve efficiency and drive growth, with a focus on Worldline’s role in this transformation. It covers the journey from proof of concept to trial, highlighting stakeholder feedback, collective consumer adoption, and the importance of clear value before progressing to the next phase.
Helen Little (Worldline), Will Kim (Hospitality NZ), and Kristy Phillips (Hospitality NZ), explore how digital identity transforms everyday transactions. Panelists discuss seamless payment experiences, age verification for hospitality services, and reducing friction in consumer transactions. Discover how digital identity credentials are enabling secure, efficient payments while protecting consumer privacy and creating new opportunities for businesses across New Zealand’s hospitality sector.
Moderated by Digital Identity Executive Director Andy Higgs.
The future of open banking in New Zealand.
Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Scott Simpson outlines the government’s vision for open banking in Aotearoa, highlighting progress on Consumer Data Right legislation and its role in enabling innovation, enhancing competition, and empowering consumers with greater control over their financial data in a trusted and secure digital environment.
Digital Identity in the Digital Economy
Exploring the role of financial services providers in the digital identity ecosystem in Aotearoa.
At Payments NZ, our vision is to provide world class payments for Aotearoa.
Against a backdrop of positive momentum from both public and private sectors, we are exploring the intersection between identity and payments. We are working with industry stakeholders to understand how best digital identity can be implemented so that it can play its crucial role as a cornerstone of a secure and inclusive digital economy. Collaboration is essential in this exercise, and we draw inspiration from the well known Māori whakataukī (proverb):
Nā tō rourou,nā taku rourou,ka ora ai te iwi – With your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive
Andrew Weaver (Payments NZ), Steven Dillon (Ping Identity), Prann Rawal (IBM), and Vanessa Sorenson (Microsoft NZ) showcase how digital identity unlocks business productivity. Panelists discuss streamlining payment systems, securing business transactions, and accelerating compliance processes across sectors. Explore real-world implementations of business identity solutions and how identity infrastructure enables automation, reduces fraud costs, and drives economic growth.
Moderated by Anna Curzon, Chair – B416.
Break for lunch
Unlocking Business Productivity: Digital Identity for Enterprises, Trusts, and Organisations
Digital identity isn’t just about people – it’s about unleashing the productivity potential of New Zealand’s businesses, charities, trusts, and corporates. This session examines how digital identity solutions can streamline back-office processes, reduce fraud risks, and enable faster turnaround times across sectors. From farming trust alliances and federated farmers to healthcare providers and educational institutions, learn how the NZ Business Number and digital identity frameworks are creating new opportunities for automation, compliance, and growth in the digital economy.
Using Trust Anchors for Social Impact | Presented by Matthew Evetts, Partner – Digital & Cyber, KPMG
Matthew Evetts from KPMG reflects on key insights from the Identity and Trust Ecosystems Workshop with Te Whatu Ora, co-hosted with IBM, on 11 August. The workshop explored identity and trust challenges faced by underserved communities, focusing on alternative trust anchors, relationship verification, and inclusive business processes.
Lumin PDF’s Joel Foster, Chris Claridge (Trust Alliance), Philip Nye (Verify – IBM), and Suzy McMillan (MinterEllisonRuddWatts), explore how digital signatures transform business operations across farming, healthcare, education, and financial services. Panelists discuss streamlining agricultural documentation, NZ Business Number integration, educational credentialing, and AML compliance workflows. Discover how trusted digital signing solutions are eliminating paper processes, accelerating sector-specific transactions, and driving productivity gains across New Zealand’s critical industries.
Moderated by Maria Roberston, Chair, Digital Identity NZ.
James Monaghan leads an engaging dialogue to take the temperature of the room on digital identity for businesses and organisations. This collaborative session gathers delegate insights on productivity gains, implementation challenges, and regulatory needs while providing valuable feedback for the government on how digital identity can unlock New Zealand’s economic potential.
The Future is Agentic: Digital Identity for Machines, Bots, and AI Systems
As artificial intelligence and automated systems become ubiquitous, the question “who or what am I dealing with?” becomes critical. This session explores the emerging world of agentic commerce, where AI agents conduct business on behalf of humans and organizations. How do we establish identity, delegation, and reputation for machines? What frameworks ensure accountability when bots make decisions? As the future web becomes increasingly agentic, understanding machine identity becomes essential for maintaining trust and control in our digital interactions.
The Future is Agentic: Digital Identity for Machines, Bots, and AI Systems
As artificial intelligence and automated systems become ubiquitous, the question “who or what am I dealing with?” becomes critical. This session explores the emerging world of agentic commerce, where AI agents conduct business on behalf of humans and organizations. How do we establish identity, delegation, and reputation for machines? What frameworks ensure accountability when bots make decisions? As the future web becomes increasingly agentic, understanding machine identity becomes essential for maintaining trust and control in our digital interactions.
Technology entrepreneur Nicolas Fourrier, Silona Bonewald (President, LeadingBit Solutions), Michelle Dickinson, and Antoni Tisot (ELab), explore the emerging world of machine identity. Panelists discuss establishing trust frameworks for AI agents, delegation mechanisms, and accountability systems for autonomous business transactions. Examine how machine identity infrastructure will enable safe, trustworthy interactions in an increasingly automated digital economy.
Moderated by James Monaghan.
Afternoon Tea Break.
Helen Littlewood, Worldline:
Digital Identity in Practice: Driving Consumer Engagement and Adoption
How as a broader industry support consumer uptake for identity. How best do we promote, educate and encourage the consumer to ensure successful uptake and at scale.
Gabrielle George, DIA:
Challenges to credential adoption
We will explore the current challenges to credential adoption across the sector, and interventions to address these.
Joel Foster, Lumin:
The next generation of verified eSigning
The rise of AI-generated fraud, synthetic identities, and deepfake attacks has created significant business risks, while traditional KYC and verification methods burden users with time-consuming processes and impose expensive operational costs on businesses. Conventional fraud prevention approaches are insufficient for these dual challenges, making secure and efficient digital identity solutions essential. The next generation of eSigning uses Verifiable Credentials (VCs), such as digital driver’s licenses (mDLs). These credentials provide cryptographically secure verification that can replace outdated identity methods, allowing for flexible, step-up verification based on the necessary level of assurance. The use of VCs for digital signing not only enhances security but also simplifies the signing process, making it more convenient for both parties. At Lumin, we want to enable our customers to sign documents using VCs, enhancing security and convenience. Join Joel Foster to learn more about the future of verified eSigning.
Victoria Richardson (ID Partners), Payments NZ:
From Framework to Value
Hosted by Payments NZ, this roundtable will explore how the DIA’s Digital Identity Services Trust Framework lays important groundwork for a secure and trusted digital identity ecosystem that can be leveraged to reduce payment fraud and improve customer outcomes in Aotearoa.
Steve Dillon, Ping Identity:
The Future of Digital Identity in an AI-Driven World
As AI reshapes industries, securing digital identity has never been more critical. With identity at the centre of digital transformation, organisations must navigate the challenges of balancing security, compliance, and user experience while mitigating AI-driven risks such as fraud, deepfakes, and identity threats.
Join Steve Dillon from Ping Identity during this roundtable to discuss strategies for securing digital identity in an AI-first world. This session will aim to exchange insights, explore best practices, and shape the future of identity security in Australia’s evolving digital landscape.
Key discussion topics:
– How are you seeing Agentic AI impacting your industry or organization, and what are the perceived opportunities and risks?
– How can we balance the need for AI autonomy with the requirement for human oversight and control?
– What policies and technologies are necessary to ensure accountability and auditability for the actions taken by Agentic AI?
Joe Standen, Westpac:
Organisational Changes Needed to Realise the Value of Digital Identity
This roundtable will explore the critical organisational changes needed to unlock the full value of digital identity in an increasingly connected and data-driven world. Participants will discuss how digital identity is more than a technology upgrade—it requires a strategic shift in how organisations approach governance, security, user trust, and service delivery.
Greg Webber, NEC:
Who Are You? Rethinking Identity Verification in the Age of DISTF
From proving your identity to opening a bank account to logging into a government service, verification is everywhere. But how much assurance is enough? How can we design systems people will actually use? And where do biometrics fit in? This interactive session brings together experts to unpack the Digital Identity Services Trust Framework, the role of verifiable credentials, and the balance between security, convenience, and trust.
Katie Parkin and Peter Bailey, KPMG:
Can We Use Identity to Reduce Financial Fraud?
As fraudsters become more sophisticated, can digital identity be the key to staying ahead? Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on how identity frameworks, data integrity, and emerging technologies are reshaping fraud prevention – and share your perspective on where the future is headed.
Philip Nye & Prann Rawal, IBM:
Beyond Credentials: Building a Secure and Trusted Digital Citizen Identity
Join an open and engaging discussion as we explore the critical balance between citizen access, privacy, and fraud prevention. Together, we’ll unpack why digital credentials alone aren’t enough – and how combining them with identity and access management technologies is essential to delivering a frictionless experience and building a secure, inclusive, and trusted digital identity ecosystem for all New Zealanders.
Silona Bonewald / Alan Mayo, Digital Identity New Zealand:
Open data, infrastrcuture – ecocsystem thinking
Led by open source and standards expert Silona Bonewald, and Dr Alan Mayo, DINZ Executive Committee Member and identity entrepreneur, this roundtable explores how open data and digital infrastructure can enable trusted digital identity ecosystems. Discuss the role of interoperability, standards, and decentralised models in supporting resilient, future-ready identity solutions.
Maria Roberston, Digital Identity New Zealand:
Delivering retail benefits for New Zealand citizens – policy vs delivery options
Led by DINZ Chair Maria Robertson, this roundtable explores how digital identity policy can translate into real-world delivery, enabling seamless access to retail services for New Zealanders. Join the discussion on aligning policy and implementation to create trusted, user-friendly digital identity experiences that drive everyday value and inclusion.
Phil Ross, Digital Identity New Zealand:
DINZ Strategic focus – membership focus:
Hosted by DINZ Executive Council member Phil Ross, this roundtable will explore DINZ’s strategy refresh—accelerating credential uptake, unlocking productivity with digital identity, and addressing identity’s role in AI and agentic systems. Together, members will shape real change toward a future where all New Zealanders can fully participate using trusted digital identity.
Jeff Kennedy, Digital Identity New Zealand:
Student ID ecosystem
Led by Jeff Kennedy, Enterprise Architect, This roundtable wil discuss, imagine and discover together how digital identity can power a connected student ID ecosystem in Aotearoa. Discover how verified credentials can support access to education, transport, and retail—while addressing interoperability, privacy, and the role of trusted identity in student life.
Ngapera Riley & Chris Goh:
Maori data sovereignty and trust anchors
Led by Ngapera Riley and Chris Goh, this roundtable explores how Māori data sovereignty principles can shape trusted digital identity systems. The session will consider how culturally grounded trust anchors—sources of trust rooted in community, tikanga, and whakapapa—can inform identity design, governance, and infrastructure to enable equitable digital futures.
Michelle Dickinson, Matter Workshop:
Trust by Design – Building Public Understanding of AI and Digital Identity
As artificial intelligence and digital identity systems rapidly evolve, one challenge remains constant: without public trust, even the most technically sound solutions may fail. Join us for an intimate roundtable discussion to explore a crucial question:
How do we design systems that the public understands, trusts, and willingly uses – not just because they’re secure, but because they feel included?
In a time of voice cloning, deepfakes, and invisible algorithms, the technical conversation is no longer enough. This session will focus on the human layer – how we bring people with us on the journey, build AI literacy, and ensure digital identity systems are not just efficient, but embraced.
Together, we’ll explore:
Why transparency and education are core to system trust
What public understanding of digital identity and AI looks like today
How to design upskilling pathways and outreach alongside infrastructure
What can we do today to make it easier tomorrow?
Ben Winterbourne:
Data as the Foundation for Digital Identity
As digital identity gains traction, trust and its success depend on more than just technology, it depends on Data. The roundtable will explore the importance of quality, accuracy, and integrity of data, what this could enable, and how we balance privacy.
Conversation Starters:
What are the barriers to an interconnected/interoperable digital identity from a data perspective?
How do we build a data foundation to overcome those barriers?
How do we navigate privacy?
Close by MC Ngapera Riley.
Closing Karakia by MC Ngapera Riley.
Networking Drinks.