Kantara To Share Its Digital Identity Assurance Program Learnings, Schemes, Specifications, Best Practice Guidelines To Support Digital Identity New Zealand’s Mission
WAKEFIELD, Mass., USA and WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Kantara Initiative and Digital Identity New Zealand announced today that they have agreed a Memorandum of Understanding to support the goal of energizing New Zealand’s digital identity ecosystem development, where everyone can prove who they are digitally to organizations in a secure and trusted way. Kantara will share its digital identity assurance program learnings, schemes, specifications and best practice guidelines with DINZ in support of its mission.
With headquarters in the United States and the European Union, Kantara is the leading global consortium improving trustworthy use of identity and personal data through innovation, standardization and good practice. Kantara has similar collaboration agreements in Canada and Europe as well as being the only organization providing third party assessment and assurance against the US National Institute of Standards and Technology SP 800-63-3 for identity and authentication.
DINZ is a purpose driven, inclusive, membership funded organization, whose members have a shared passion for the opportunities that digital identity can offer. DINZ supports a sustainable, inclusive and trustworthy digital future for all New Zealanders.
Kantara Executive Director and Native New Zealander Colin Wallis said, “For a decade, Kantara has worked with governments and standards-bodies internationally sharing its assurance program knowledge, schemes, specifications and best practices in the digital identity and privacy space with the goal of building trustworthy networks and ensuring people have agency over their data. We’ve worked hard to align these programs for multi-jurisdictional adoption and believe that Kantara’s global mission and DINZ’s national goals are mutually supportive. We look forward to working together and sharing knowledge, not only to drive forward ecosystem development in New Zealand but also to support improved global interoperability of digital identity. The effort will work hand in hand with the public sector digital identity initiatives – the Department of Internal Affairs in New Zealand, the Digital Transformation Agency in Australia and the US Postal Service – all of whom support the Kantara Initiative.”
Andrew Weaver, Digital Identity New Zealand’s Executive Director, said, “Collaboration is at the heart of our work here at Digital Identity New Zealand. We are excited to be working with the Kantara Initiative, drawing from the depth of wisdom and experience they have built up over the last ten years. In return we hope to share some of our digital identity journey here in Aotearoa/New Zealand with the wider Kantara community. Since our establishment late in 2018 we have been introduced to and explored the concept of ‘Identity as Taonga’, Taonga being a Maori word that describes something precious and treasured, worthy of the highest levels of dignity, care and respect. We look forward to exploring these ideas with other communities around the world, learning together what it means to build truly inclusive and diverse identity ecosystems”
About Kantara Initiative
The Kantara Initiative is the leading global consortium improving trustworthy use of digital identity and personal data through innovation, standardization and good practice. Kantara provides real-world innovation through its development of specifications, applied R&D and operational conformity assessment programs for the digital identity and personal data ecosystems. More information is available at https://kantarainitiative.org/.
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About DINZ
Digital Identity NZ was formed to help New Zealand’s transformation as a digital nation, where everyone can prove who they are digitally to organisations in a secure and trusted way.
DINZ’s vision is for Aotearoa/New Zealand to be a country where everyone can fully participate in society by confidently expressing their digital identity. To support that vision, our mission is to foster the establishment of a digital identity ecosystem that enhances privacy, trust and improves access for all people in Aotearoa/New Zealand. For more information visit https://staging.digitalidentity.nz
