Kaye Nikki: Electronic Identity Verification Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Kaye Nikki: Electronic Identity Verification Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 07 February 2012. Volume:677;Page:153. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
NIKKI KAYE (National—Auckland Central) 
: 
 I am very pleased to support this Electronic Identity Verification Bill. Can I start by acknowledging the new Minister of Internal Affairs Amy Adams. She is a superb individual who is going to do a very good job—is doing a very good job—and it is good to see her speaking on this bill. I also want to pay tribute to the Government Administration Committee. As a former deputy chair of that committee I have often thought that perhaps the House does not realise some of the important work that that committee does; this is an example of the important work that the Government Administration Committee does.  
The first thing I would like to say is that this is part of a wider modernising agenda. As a youngish member of this Parliament—I acknowledge Chris Hipkins over there who is another youngish member of this Parliament—I acknowledge this Government’s agenda in terms of modernising our Parliament but also our Government services. Many young people talk to me about the fact that a lot of their interaction with politicians and Government services is online whether it is through our significant investment in terms of our broadband package or whether it is through a bill like this which is saying to New Zealanders and to many young New Zealanders that we are going to make it easier for them to interact with the Government and politicians. I think that is a very important point and a very important purpose of this bill.  
A couple of other points that I would like to make about this bill is that we know that the real heart of this bill is about balancing the protection of people’s personal privacy with making it easier for them to interact with Government services. I had the fortunate experience of working in the Department for Constitutional Affairs in the area of data protection when I was in the United Kingdom and one of the things that I realised over there—and I do not think a lot of New Zealanders realise it—is how world leading we were when we brought in the Official Information Act. I really hope and believe that with the current Minister Amy Adams this is part of a wider agenda to ensure that our Government is keeping up with the pace of technology and ensuring that data and personal information of the individual are protected while also ensuring as much as possible that we can make Government services more easily accessible to New Zealanders.  
I want to touch on one particular clause: clause 4. I think that is a very important clause because it cuts to the heart of the principle of the National Party in terms of freedom. This is an optional service; this is not something that will be forced on New Zealanders. It is there for those New Zealanders who want to engage more online to have confidence in their interactions to be able to save their time and to not have to do a lot of these different interactions with different Government agencies. It really does emphasise that important principle of the National Party which is freedom because this is an optional service.  
The second point that I would like to make is around the savings. I heard from the member Kris Faafoi. As a constituency MP he knows how many people come to your office and say that they spend time going around various offices and various Government agencies having to verify themselves several different times. Not only is this bill about making it easier for individual New Zealand citizens to not have to spend that time and that money doing that but also it is about saving Government departments money and at a difficult time financially. I was very pleased to read in the regulatory impact statement a statement that very clearly said that over a 10-year period—and I think this is quite phenomenal—this could save New Zealanders between $385 million and $527 million. I think that is something that we should celebrate as we progress this to the select committee: not only could this save individuals time but also it could significantly save Government departments time.  
This bill is not only about Government savings; it is about modernising our Government services into the 21st century. It is about making it more accessible for all New Zealanders but particularly the next generation of New Zealanders. But also it is that balance of ensuring that the individual has the power to correct their own information. There is nothing more violating than either having your information abused or there being incorrect information about you. I think that is one of the other wonderful things about this piece of legislation: it enables the individual to have that power over access to their own information. So I am very pleased to support this bill to the select committee under the esteemed leadership of the new Minister Amy Adams. Thank you.