NZBN taking a greater role in digitalisation
Government agencies are gearing up to make much greater use of New Zealand Business Numbers (NZBNs) in the digitalisation of their everyday interactions with business, and this brings huge potential benefits in efficiency and cost saving.
NZBNs are globally unique identifiers allocated, or available to be allocated, to every business in New Zealand. The Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) sees the NZBN standard becoming a critical piece of trusted digital infrastructure for transactions across the economy – a widely-recognised key for identity verification of every business or agency, and for assurance around the safety of information exchanges and financial transactions between them.
Global Location Numbers
Every allocated NZBN is a 13-digit Global Location Number (GLN) sourced from GS1 New Zealand (part of the global, non-profit GS1 standards organisation). NZBNs are, therefore, globally unique identifiers. This has the major advantage of promoting interoperability and transparency between New Zealand entities and their supply chain partners, customers and other counter-parties internationally. Greater speed and ease in the border processing of exports is one example of benefit from the use of GLNs worldwide.
The NZBN standard was introduced in 2016, with MBIE now maintaining a comprehensive online registry which links every allocated NZBN to a set of primary business data (PBD). PBD is the verified information most often requested in interactions between businesses and/or agencies.
Today, more than 300,000 businesses are making some use of their NZBNs, and there is wide recognition of the potential to go much further.
Trust infrastructure
GS1 New Zealand continues to support MBIE and other agencies in their use of NZBNs, especially in context of the new National Digital Trust Infrastructure. The latter is being developed after Parliament last year passed the Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Act with the purpose of adding safety and trust to New Zealand’s digital identity environment. The Act, in force from this 1 July, sets out rules and regulations for a new group of accredited “trust framework providers” to offer digital identity services for checking the accuracy of information and adding that trust element to any transaction.
NZBNs are obviously a major building block in the framework as they gain recognition as the “trust anchor” in any interaction, and as they become increasingly embedded in digital processes within the Public Sector and between agencies and businesses.
The Act, in force from this 1 July, sets out rules and regulations for a new group of accredited “trust framework providers” to offer digital identity services for checking the accuracy of information and adding that trust element to any transaction.
Digital credential
MBIE is progressing the trust anchor concept with the development of an “NZBN digital credential”, able to be held on mobile phones for immediate use in a vast array of day-to-day interactions to prove legitimacy for a business, for qualifications and for individuals in relation to those interactions. These credentials will be cryptographically signed, secure and tamper proof.
As noted, the potential benefits are huge in terms of automatic establishment of trust, rapid access to verified data, avoidance of duplication in information exchanges, pre-population of forms and surveys, and much more.
NZBNs are about to become far more important – and useful – in every part of the New Zealand economy.
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