A new app that allows users to access government information and services from their phones – and will, eventually, hold digital driver licences – has been released today.
Digitising Government and Public Service Minister Judith Collins said the govt.nz app was a secure and easy way for people to access what they needed, and was “an important milestone in our work to ensure we have a digital public service that is customer-focused, efficient, and future-ready”.
It would allow users to access trusted information and services from across government, customise the user experience for what was most relevant, and receive emergency warnings from the likes of the National Emergency Management Agency and Fire and Emergency.
In the coming months, new features such as messaging and notifications would be rolled out, as well as a digital wallet, which would hold identity credentials such as licences and qualifications.
Once digital driver licences were available, they could go in the digital wallet.
“I look forward to seeing New Zealanders benefit from these improvements as we continue to expand the app’s capabilities,” Collins said.
“Participation will always be optional, and people will continue to be able to access government services in a range of ways. Our goal is to offer an option that is secure and convenient, while maintaining the highest standards of safety.”
Govt.nz can be downloaded on both iOS and Android platforms.
Digital driver licence legislation
Earlier this year, The Regulatory Systems (Transport) Amendment Bill went through first reading to select committee.
Among the features of the bill, which was supported at first reading by all six parties in the House, was to expand the definition of a driver’s licence to include both electronic and physical versions. It also created a framework to allow the Government to introduce further legislation regarding digital licences.
When introducing the bill, Associate Transport Minister James Meager said digital licences would extend beyond the roads to most instances where people need to show ID.
“It will help achieve the solution of what happens, you know, when we maybe forget our driver’s licence on the way to a visit to the ports, because we’re very interested in port security and we need our driver’s licence to prove our ID,” he said in Parliament.
“Or maybe when we’re going to the local wine bar in Christchurch central, and we have to provide our ID to the bouncer, and we pat our pockets, and we’ve left our driver’s licence at home – we can bring up our digital driver’s licence on our phone and show that to the bouncer.”
He said it was “important to note” that physical licences would “always be an option”, as the Government knew some people had issues accessing technology.
NZ First leader Winston Peters later unveiled his own proposed legislation on digital IDs. He said there was some unease that “digital-only systems could become coercive or insecure”.
Peters’ bill, which was unlikely to become law, would mandate organisations to accept hard copy versions of passports, driver’s licences, 18+ cards and other documents when proof of age or ID is required. There would be fines of up to $50,000 for insisting on digital-only versions.
He said the bill wasn’t “anti-digital” but instead contained “common sense” guardrails against “digital overreach”.
