A civil liberties organisation has raised fresh concerns about the Government’s plan to introduce a national digital identity system, warning it could erode personal freedom and place new pressures on New Zealanders to adopt a single digital pathway for essential services.
PILLAR Executive Director Nathan Seiuli said the public had been misled by assurances that a digital ID would simply provide convenience, save costs, and improve service access.
He said those claims did not outweigh the risk to privacy and individual rights.
“Cost saving and convenience are poor reasons to overhaul how New Zealanders prove who they are,” Seiuli said. “We cannot trade fundamental freedoms and privacy for minor administrative gains.”
Minister Judith Collins has said digital identity services would be safer and more secure, and she has repeatedly assured the public the system will not be mandatory.
Seiuli said presenting the Government App as the easiest and fastest way to interact with public services risks creating an environment where an optional system becomes the only practical choice.
“This is exactly how optional systems become unavoidable,” Seiuli said.
He said parents, vulnerable people, and those who struggle with technology are at risk of being disadvantaged as digital pathways become the default option for accessing services.
“Access to essential services should never depend on whether someone adopts a government digital ID,” Seiuli said. “Did we learn nothing from vaccine mandates. Once digital pathways become the norm, choice becomes an illusion. How long will this stay optional.”
PILLAR has pointed to international examples where digital identity systems have been used to pressure behaviour and limit access to services, saying some countries have moved away from them over concerns about civil liberties.
“What was once dismissed as science fiction is now happening,” Seiuli said. “We see versions of these systems emerging in the United Kingdom and Canada, and they are coming to Australia and New Zealand.”
Both ACT and New Zealand First have raised concerns, with New Zealand First introducing legislation that seeks to protect the use of physical identification.
PILLAR said it will continue to oppose any move that risks undermining individual rights or creating barriers for people who prefer physical identification.
