Kia ora
This month I want to draw your attention to an insightful interview with Sujith Nair, co-founder of Beckn Protocol and Networks for Humanity. Nair was a key builder of Aadhaar and the broader India Stack, and his case for protocol-led architecture lands squarely on our Hui Taumata themes: trust, interoperability, adoption and governance.
His metaphor is simple: gardens need gardeners, while forests scale, diversify and produce solutions their designers never imagined. The lesson for Aotearoa is direct. At scale, the unlock is not another point solution, but neutral infrastructure that lowers the unit cost of trust across the whole market.
That same lens is shaping our work on trusted credentials, reusable KYC, anti-scam infrastructure and digital public infrastructure. It also connects strongly with the Sovereign AI focus for the Hui, following discussions between Drummond Reed and Dr Karaitiana Taiuru on human-friendly identity for the agentic web, Māori co-creation, data sovereignty, whakapapa and Te Mana Raraunga principles.
We have some surprise speakers joining us, so these ideas will be live in the room. I’d encourage you to read the full interview before August.
Read more insights here, or the full interview here.
Industry News
A trusted identity layer for AI agents
On 23 June, the Linux Foundation announced its intent to launch the Agent Name Service (ANS), an open standard for trusted identity, verification and discovery of AI agents, built on the existing Domain Name System.
For DINZ members, the development is significant because it points to a growing global need for neutral, interoperable trust infrastructure for AI agents. ANS supports decentralised identifiers (DIDs) and Legal Entity Identifiers (LEIs), creating a potential bridge between agent discovery, trusted identity and the verifiable credential ecosystem.
As AI agents increasingly operate across enterprises, platforms and digital services, trusted identity infrastructure will become foundational. The ANS announcement reinforces a theme central to the Hui Taumata: open standards and shared infrastructure beat walled gardens.
Read more on why AI agents need trusted identity infrastructure.
New AML/CFT Identity Verification Code recognises DISTF pathway
The new Identity Verification Code of Practice 2026, gazetted on 28 May and commencing on 1 July 2026, marks the first full rewrite of the Code since 2013.
Importantly for DINZ members, it recognises verification through an accredited Digital Identity Services Trust Framework (DISTF) service as a standalone pathway for identity verification. This is a significant regulatory signal for Aotearoa’s digital identity ecosystem, showing how trusted digital identity services can move from policy intent into practical adoption.
The Code also raises important questions about assurance, biometrics, privacy, selective disclosure and how we design verification pathways that minimise unnecessary personal information sharing.
Age verification and data minimisation
Two reforms this year point toward the same accredited DISTF digital credentials, but they raise a useful design question: why should proving you are over 18 require more of your identity than opening a bank account?
Under the new AML Identity Verification Code of Practice 2026, a DISTF credential can verify a person’s full name and date of birth for bank onboarding without requiring the credential to carry or display a photo. Yet alcohol-related age verification risks defaulting to a digital “18+ photo ID” model, when the real question is simply: are you over 18?
This is exactly where selective disclosure should shine. Privacy-enhancing credentials should allow people to prove only what is necessary, without oversharing personal information.
Read more on why proving you are over 18 should not require oversharing your identity.
NZBN Business Passport
The upcoming NZBN Business Passport will enable businesses to share verified information once and reuse it, including confirming they’re authorised to act on behalf of a business. This will help reduce admin, speed up transactions and give businesses more control over their data.
The credential is expected to go live in early September, with Westpac involved in the first phase to test how it can be consumed.
Watch the NZBN Business Passport overview.
Member News
Lumin explores digital credentials and identity fraud
DINZ member Lumin has shared a series of conversations and insights on how verified digital credentials can help reduce identity fraud, improve trust and support safer digital transactions.
Featuring perspectives from Lumin, MATTR, Air New Zealand and MBIE, the series explores real-world uses for digital credentials, what businesses need to know, and what is required for adoption at scale — including interoperability, public-private coordination and trusted infrastructure.
Watch the roundtable series here.
I look forward to continuing these conversations with many of you at the Hui Taumata.
Ngā mihi nui,
Andy Higgs
Executive Director,
Digital Identity New Zealand
Read full newsletter here: Forests, not gardens: important lessons for Aotearoa | June Newsletter