Lee Melissa; Salesa JennyMELISSA LEE (National): Thank you Madam Speaker and I thank the Minister the Hon Dr David Clark who just took his seat for bringing this bill to the House.Right from the outset I will say that National is supporting this bill in its second reading and will continue to do so because I believe that it is actually a very important piece of work to get us started in this day and age where digital is where we are. I want to traverse everything that the Minister has actually said because he basically talked about most of the things that we actually dealt with in the select committee. But we support the best use of data to achieve better outcomes and a trusted innovative digital economy and a digital identity framework will develop this actually further I think.One of the things that I find very interesting and completely support is what the Minister said this is all about making sure that people's data is actually secure. In this day and age when we have to prove our identity often people ask for several pieces of documentation to prove who we are—sometimes it's usually a photo identification or a bill that actually has your home address; sometimes people actually feel really insecure about providing those personal details to protect their privacy. This framework will assist in that process where you literally will only have to do it once with a trusted framework provider who will in effect provide that security and also provide that identity identification I guess. When I actually want to do something I don't have to continually send in that documentation. When you send documentations to other people whether via email or whatever sometimes those documentations are not protected. People can actually steal your identity and that's been a problem.We believe it is actually vital that the framework and digital identity services on offer in New Zealand must enshrine principles of privacy and digital safety as I've actually just said. Having considered the issue in detail through a select committee—and at this juncture I'd like to thank my colleagues right across the House from the select committee led by Jamie Strange who actually does a very very good job as chair. As the spokesperson for the National Party for the digital economy and communications I am really satisfied that the kinds of things that we're actually talking about is going to be achieved through this bill out of the committee process.In New Zealand digital interactions between individuals business and Government are only going to increase. We must have resilience and you know we must have resilient future-focused policies in place and back innovative new technologies that exist now and actually will grow in the future. A framework for regulated entities to offer recognised digital identity services will add to the constantly changing evolution of our technological nation in a secure way is actually a step forward.Recently the New Zealand Parliament also addressed the topic of digital exclusion through select committee petitions most notably the one by the Citizens Advice Bureau which recently reported back to the House and is soon to be debated in its own right in several weeks' time. I note that there are many New Zealanders who cannot for many reasons engage digitally. The issue is not just the rural-urban divide; there are cultural issues there are socioeconomic and demographical reasons and also the specific region that they live in where they actually have digital exclusion. It is vital to ensure public institutions continue to be able to engage with those people who cannot engage online as a part of a due process for all people in New Zealand. That is one aspect of select committee discussions that I'm glad that we have managed to put in the mind of the officials when we were actually working through this. The digital identity framework must be complementary to existing identity tools and not a tool for digital exclusion. It must not become a means to disregard New Zealanders' access to Government and public services who prefer the traditional method of official identification trusted for many many decades.When we talk about many decades it actually reminds me going back to probably some 20-odd years ago when I think it was the Hon Maurice Williamson who introduced the photo driver's licence. At the time it was to replace the paper driver's licence that everybody used to have. I used to have a little blue driver's licence that didn't actually have a photo so my mother could have potentially used it. Who would know the difference you know? When the photo driver's licence was introduced everybody went absolutely wild and said You cannot do this. This is actually Big Brother spying on us. This is a travesty. You cannot do this." Aren't we so glad that the National Government back then had the foresight to actually provide the driver's licence which also meant that people had to have their eye test? Immediately after the photo driver's licences were instigated there were many people who had to actually wear glasses to drive. That means our roads are safer as a result. How technology improves our lives this bill will do that.One further issue relating to digital identity services and legislation that Parliament is considering is also worth a comment. National members were quite concerned and I'm sure that members across were also concerned that the misinformation that circulated from untrusted digital sources regarding what the legislation will achieve and what it is actually about and there were many many submissions which were out of bounds for our consideration.This legislation was debated during the heights of public discourse on the COVID vaccine passes of a COVID mandate and alongside channels of mal-information growing fear. This legislation was caught up in the storm of unassociated disjointed commentary about wider conspiracy theories fear of Government control and similar topics. I have to actually quote the report from the committee—and I quote—"Many submissions also compared this bill to social credit systems centralised state control of identity (for example the removal of physical driver licences) and moving to a cashless society using digital currencies. None of these ideas are related to the content of this bill." I have to agree wholeheartedly with this statement fully that this bill is not and will not be a mechanism for State control. That is misinformation. That is fake news.We will not see the withdrawal of existing forms of official identity from circulation as a result of this legislation. As the Minister said it is actually an opt-in kind of a system where people can choose whether to be in or not; they can choose what information they actually want to share.I would also like to recognise though that some people will have some apprehension that this new option could be the start of a process to end physical identity documentation—this is not the case. These services will be complementary to the existing identity processes as part of the growing digital world that we live in alongside physical human interactions.National actually believes in New Zealand having a digital future. We also believe no one should be left behind. On that note I'd like to request that the Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications be a little bit more ambitious and perhaps ask for more funding to actually grow your vision. I'm just a little bit disappointed with the $20 million. A digital identity framework will allow our digital economy to embrace the next stage of innovation and technological opportunity. I look forward to furthering the discussion on this legislation in detail through the remaining stages of the bill over the weeks to come. In the committee stages we could potentially discuss many other detailed bits in the legislation and perhaps the Minister could answer some of those questions that we may have. On that note I commend this bill to the House.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jenny Salesa): This debate is interrupted and is set down for resumption next sitting day. The House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. tomorrow.The House adjourned at 9.55 p.m."