All-of-government Authentication Programme

With the Internet becoming a mainstream channel for interacting, transacting, and participating, online authentication has become a prerequisite for effective and efficient government worldwide.

The Internet offers government a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver more coordinated, more accessible, more networked, and more trustworthy services to businesses and people- a real opportunity to meaningfully deliver on its transformational goals for the State Services and the E-government Strategy.

However, the Internet was built without a way to confidently identify who is transacting.

To use some government services, people need to verify who they are. People also need to know they are dealing with a real government agency. Both of these are enabled by "authentication" which is the process of establishing, to the required level of satisfaction, the identity of one or more parties to a transaction.

Government has decided that an all-of-government approach to this issue is essential. The All-of-government Authentication Programme has taken measured, controlled steps forward in progressing towards long-term goals over the past six years.

The scope of the Authentication Programme includes work on policy, authentication standards, and all-of-government shared services (Government Logon Service, Identity Verification Service, and Future Services).

A new brand 'igovt' has been developed to encompass the services being offered by the Authentication Programme.

“igovt is unique. It has a world leading design for privacy protection because it separates technically the logon process from the identity verification process” said State Services Minister David Parker in his launch speech at igovt’s official launch at the Managing Identity in New Zealand conference in April 2008.

“igovt is a great example of how State Services are working together to create one central, shared service that can be used across local, regional and national government. It has the potential to open up a new approach to government service delivery,” David Parker said.

Jointly led by the State Services Commission and the Department of Internal Affairs, igovt consists of two separate but integrated services that will allow people and businesses to use the Internet to prove who they are when dealing with government agencies.

For more information visit our new igovt website: www.i.govt.nz

Our online Library has media releases, articles about the Authentication Programme, and key documents.

Current scope

In the current phase of the Authentication Programme, progress towards the long-term goals will be made by:

• Assisting agencies with implementing Authentication Standards and development of new ones as required.
• Progressively rolling out the Government Logon Service to government agencies.
• Complete detailed design and pilot of the proposed Identity Verification Service.
• Investigate the feasibility of further all-of-government authentication shared services.