Govt.nz wallet still close to empty as digital driver licence slips to late 2027

The Government's digital wallet was supposed to start filling up this month. Official papers show most of the credentials people would actually use are still a long way off.

The Government's website says that "from October 2026 onwards, we expect to gradually add a wide range of credentials to the wallet as they're developed." BusinessDesk obtained papers under the Official Information Act that describe "a broad pipeline of credentials". Biometric Update summarised them, and says their timelines raise doubts about whether that pipeline can be delivered. The wallet sits inside the Govt.nz app and was built by Auckland company Mattr. Because the credentials keep running late, it has few uses so far.

The published reports don't say whether any credential can be loaded into the wallet today. Neither the Department of Internal Affairs nor the Government Digital Delivery Agency (GDDA) has answered that question on the public record.

The driver licence

For most people, the digital driver licence is the one that matters. The documents pencilled in a launch for March to May 2026. They also raised doubts about whether NZTA could have a finished product ready in time.

An NZTA webpage now expects the licence to reach the public in the second half of 2027.

NZTA says there has been no delay, because it never formally announced a delivery date. In September, 1News reported that the agency was still considering public feedback on the rollout.

Kiwi Access keeps slipping

Kiwi Access, the photo ID card formerly called the 18 Plus Card, is owned and run by Hospitality NZ. The industry body is building the digital version with NEC New Zealand. On its own website, Hospitality NZ said testing with DIA, NZ Verify and NEC would begin in December 2025. Accreditation under the Trust Framework and a closed pilot would follow, with a public launch in early 2026.

That date passed. RNZ later reported that the credential would launch "sometime over the winter months". Hospitality NZ's Sam MacKinnon told RNZ the date was still to be set because a number of details hadn't been worked out. In May, the Government promised the card would arrive "within months", Biometric Update reported. The OIA documents say the work "remains ongoing".

RNZ reported that once the credential launches, bars and other businesses that check ID will have to accept the government's authorised digital ID. Customers will still be able to show traditional photo ID. The digital credential will be free, while the physical card costs money.

The rest of the queue

Most of the remaining credentials are stuck at earlier stages, the documents show:

• Tax credentials: Inland Revenue's work "appears to be advanced", but the GDDA says delivery in 2026 is unlikely.
• Digital Visa ID: paused while Immigration New Zealand resets its programmes.
• SuperGold Card: a digital version is blocked by legislation, the documents say, without naming which.
• Firearms licence: the digital version has only reached the stage of identifying the regulations it would need.

A Public Service Commission spokesperson told BusinessDesk that five agencies are developing eight more credentials. The spokesperson withheld details because they are subject to an "active government decision-making process".

Westpac moves first, late

The private issuer closest to launch is a bank. On 17 September, 1News reported that Westpac would be the first New Zealand bank to issue digital ID credentials for businesses, stored in the Govt.nz wallet. Westpac is the third organisation accredited to issue digital ID under the Government's Digital Identity Services Trust Framework. The other two are NEC New Zealand and the GDDA.

According to 1News, Westpac One Business customers will scan a QR code and then enter a code sent by text message. That creates a business bank account credential valid for 72 hours. Credentials are stored only on the user's phone, 1News reported, not in the cloud or in any government or company database.

The credential is expected this month. It is far enough behind schedule that the GDDA called it "disappointing".

Westpac NZ's chief data, digital and AI officer, Russell Jones, told 1News: "Digital ID will only succeed if there's large-scale adoption of credential verification."

The GDDA is still aiming to issue 4 million credentials by the second quarter of 2028.