New Zealand taps NEC to develop mobile proof of age credential

NEC has announced a partnership with Hospitality New Zealand that will see it digitize the Kiwi Access Card, a proof of age credential previously called the HANZ 18+ card.

The card, which was launched in 1999, has become one of New Zealand’s preferred forms of ID. A release from NEC says its vision for the mobile digital version, the Kiwi Access Credential, will build on that card’s legacy in hopes of becoming a widely recognized and accepted way to prove age or verify identity, as New Zealand ramps up its digital transformation efforts.

The system will be built on NEC’s Identity Cloud Platform, using global verifiable credential standards and biometrics. It aims to minimize data sharing, reduce identity theft and fraud, and simplify compliance with age verification requirements. NEC and Hospitality New Zealand will be seeking accreditation under the Digital Identity Services Trust Framework to ensure the digital credential meets national standards for secure digital identity.

“Hospitality New Zealand has shown real leadership in modernising one of the country’s most trusted credentials,” says Steven Graham, head of identity cloud establishment ANZ at NEC New Zealand. “This partnership reflects NEC’s global commitment to building secure and interoperable digital identity platforms, with our Identity Cloud capability being established across Australia and New Zealand.”

NEC continues to strengthen its position in the APAC region, having recently announced a plan to integrate its biometrics into payment terminals in Japan.

New Zealand, meanwhile, is seeing momentum grow on its digital identity program, which is modeled on the one deployed by New South Wales in Australia. Minister for Digitising Government Judith Collins has called on stakeholders to “move from discussion to delivery” in developing digital identity, and the country appears to be on track to have mobile driver’s licenses (mDL) in circulation by the end of 2025.

The two entities are already linked, in that NEC New Zealand provides the fingerprinting system for New Zealand’s police, and has been contracted to provide biometrics for a larger biometric capability upgrade, which will house and match travelers’ biometric information.

Article Topics

age verification  |  biometric age estimation  |  cloud services  |  NEC  |  New Zealand  |  verifiable credentials