Hon Chris Tremain Minister of Internal Affairs

2 July 2013 Media Statement
RealMe makes it easy to get services online

Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain says the roll out of RealMe, New Zealand’s new, secure online identity verification service, will improve access to government and commercial services.

From today customers can sign up for a RealMe verified account at any of New Zealand Post’s 56 participating stores. The rest of New Zealand Post’s 150 stores will begin to offer the service over the coming months.

“The closest equivalent to RealMe is a Passport or Drivers Licence. These forms of ID are fine for face-to face interaction, but you can’t show them over the internet. A RealMe verified account is the online equivalent which proves who you are and just involves going into a participating PostShop to have your photo taken,” says Mr Tremain.

“At present there are a lot of services the Government would like to be able to provide online – but there has been no way of knowing if the person making the request is entitled to do so. A RealMe verified account will bridge that gap with just one username and password, which can be used to access multiple government and private sector websites.

“Over the next year people are going to find a lot of practical reasons to get a verified RealMe account. You will soon be able to apply for banking services or insurance online without having to run around and prove your identity. It will become, in time, a common way of proving who you are online, just like showing photo ID in person.”

The Department of Internal Affairs is working with a number of government agencies on the use of RealMe verified accounts. The department plans to use RealMe verified accounts with its passports service in the future.

RealMe is a key part of the Government’s target to enable New Zealanders to complete their transactions with government easily in a digital environment. The goal is that by 2017, an average of 70 per cent of New Zealanders’ most common transactions will be completed on-line.

ENDS

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