NEC Becomes The First Organisation To Receive Digital Identity Accreditation Under NZ’s DISTF

NEC New Zealand has become the first organisation in the country to receive accreditation under the government’s Digital Identity Services Trust Framework (DISTF) – a significant milestone for New Zealand’s digital identity ecosystem.

This formal recognition confirms that four of NEC’s digital identity (ID) services meet the robust standards required under the DISTF, supporting trust, privacy, and interoperability in the delivery of digital ID and digital services in New Zealand.

“NEC is proud to be among the early adopters of the DISTF accreditation process,” said Steven Graham, Head of Identity Cloud Establishment ANZ at NEC New Zealand.

“At its core, digital identity is about enabling people to access services quickly, confidently – and ultimately – securely. Accreditation for four of our digital ID services marks a significant step in NEC NZ’s mission to support a secure, inclusive, and interoperable digital identity ecosystem in New Zealand.”

James Little, Acting Director of the Digital Trust Framework, said: "Accreditation under the Trust Framework is a rigorous, proactive, and continuous process for organisations to demonstrate to business customers and end users that their services meet robust standards.

“It has never been more important for New Zealanders to be assured that the services handling their identity information online are secure and privacy preserving.”

The accredited solutions – delivered via NEC’s cloud-based digital identity platform – support high-assurance identity verification through recognised world-leading facial recognition technology and a flexible, scalable architecture. They can be used by businesses to onboard customers, issue credentials or to meet anti-money laundering compliance.

The platform enables enrolment, identity and document verification, biometric matching, and the creation of a reusable digital identity credential. Where required, it connects to authoritative sources to verify identity attributes to the level of assurance needed for legislative or regulatory compliance.

NEC is among the earliest adopters of the DISTF and has been actively engaged in shaping the sector’s evolution. In 2021, NEC co-designed a Self-Sovereign Identity model with AWS and One New Zealand, tailored to the unique local context and requirements.

“We believe innovation and regulation must go hand-in-hand to ensure that digital identity is both trusted and accessible, to protect consumers while encouraging participation. This accreditation reflects years of investment in secure, user-focused technology and highlights our ongoing commitment to helping New Zealand build a future-ready digital identity ecosystem,” Steven Graham said.

NEC remains committed to advancing digital identity in New Zealand and will continue to play a leading role in building trusted, inclusive, and standards-aligned identity solutions – drawing on proven biometric technology and experience delivering secure identity systems globally and locally.

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