Government Chief Digital Officer Issues Standard To Protect Government-held Personal Information
'To retain the trust and confidence of the public, government agencies must put privacy and transparency at the heart of their service delivery and management of personal information,' says Mr James. 'The new Standard for providing non-government third parties with access to, or collection of, government-held personal information places clear expectations on all parties and will support agencies to adopt stronger information security, management and assurance practices.'
Agreements with third parties must confirm that any potential, perceived or real conflicts of interest have been disclosed, that these will be appropriately managed by the third party, and that the third party has processes for ongoing disclosure of new conflicts.
The new standard, developed by the GCDO in collaboration with a cross-agency working group, sets minimum expectations for public service agencies when arranging access to or collecting personal information with non-government third parties.
Many public services are delivered by third-party providers who are best placed to do so due to their location, relationships, knowledge and expertise. Sharing personal information is an essential component of this therefore we must get it right.
The new standard requires public service agencies to conduct a risk assessment whenever personal information is to be shared and includes robust safeguards to protect individual privacy and directs agencies to apply best practices when granting access to personal information.
Mr James, also Secretary for Internal Affairs, emphasises the importance of this new standard in maintaining public trust and confidence.
"Government agencies are custodians of New Zealanders' personal information. How they handle that information is essential to public trust and confidence," says Mr James. "This new standard aims to ensure personal information is accessed and used responsibly, with appropriate safeguards to protect privacy.'
'We are committed to working closely with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner to ensure that the standard aligns with existing legal requirements and enhances the overall protection of personal information," says Mr James.
The standard will be mandatory for all public service agencies from 1 July 2025. Other State services agencies are encouraged to adopt it. It offers more options for assurance, audit, and addressing non-compliance, helping agencies establish clear legal responsibilities with third parties. Chief Executives must ensure their agencies implement the standard.
The development of this standard follows an inquiry into the protection of personal information which found some agencies fell short on their responsibility to protect and manage the sharing of personal information.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
2 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Government report shows homelessness ‘appears' to be outstripping population growth
The report comes around halfway through this Government's term, which has included tightening emergency housing rules, and social and transitional housing initiatives. Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka said although accurate numbers on homelessness were difficult to find, it was 'clear we have a real problem'. 'The Government takes this seriously. All New Zealanders deserve a warm, dry place to stay, and the Government is determined to make progress on this long-running challenge for New Zealand.' Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says it is clear New Zealand has a real problem with homelessness. Photo / Mark Mitchell Potaka said the Government was seeking advice from officials on further interventions to help rough sleepers, saying 'we are also open to new ideas that will make an enduring difference'. Officials defined homelessness as living situations where people have no way of accessing safe and secure housing. This could include having no shelter at all, living in temporary or uninhabitable accommodation, or staying in a house with others, such as couch surfing. The report estimates people living without shelter are more likely to be older, with more than a quarter aged over 65. Twelve per cent were under 15 years old. Concerns from groups, collated in the report, included people and families sleeping rough, in cars, garages or uninhabitable conditions, or couch surfing during winter. They told researchers there were increasing levels of hopelessness and complex needs because of methamphetamine use, anti-social behaviour and severe mental health concerns. Emergency housing The portion of applications for emergency housing that were declined increased from 4% in March 2024 to 32% in March 2025, the report found. This statistic comes after Potaka's emergency housing policy changes in August 2024, which included limiting discretion and tightening rules to ensure it was only accessed 'where absolutely necessary'. Reasons people were declined included that they could meet their needs another way (34.3%), their circumstances could have been 'reasonably foreseen' (22.5%), they were not eligible for a grant (16.7%) or their situation was not considered an emergency (14.7%). Labour leader Chris Hipkins says the Government has no plan for where people go when they are removed from emergency accommodation. Photo / Mark Mitchell Potaka said more than $550 million was being spent annually across a range of programmes run by multiple agencies, including Transitional Housing, Housing First, Rapid Rehousing and many other support services. The minister argued there was a 37% increase in people living in shelters between 2018 and 2023 when the previous Labour Government was in power and that the Government was also dealing with the large-scale emergency housing 'social disaster' it had inherited from Labour. In January, the Government celebrated reaching its target for reducing the number of people in emergency motels by 75% five years early. But it raised questions over where people went when they left emergency housing. Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka (left) and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon say the Government has spent half a billion dollars helping people in homeless situations. Photo / Mark Mitchell Labour leader Chris Hipkins accused the Government of kicking 'everybody out of emergency accommodation' without having a plan for where they were to go. 'I think every New Zealander living in a main city can walk down the street and see there are more people living on the street, in cars, and that the Government's actions have contributed to that,' he said. 'When you boot everybody out of emergency accommodation ... this is what happens.' The report said for around 14% of people who left emergency housing, officials were not sure where they went. Others went into a mix of social and transitional housing, or received housing support supplements. 'We do know where 85% [of people] have gone and we're really happy that a lot of kids have come out of emergency housing. Those 14% we don't know where they've gone, but they don't have to tell us where they are going,' Potaka said. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told reporters his Government had spent half a billion dollars helping people in these situations. 'Homelessness is a really complex issue. People often come with a complex set of needs, whether its mental health or addiction. No Kiwi wants to see homelessness.' Luxon said he was proud of 'the fact that we have taken 6000 people off the social state housing list'. 'I'm also really proud that we've got 2100 kids out of motels and into really good homes by prioritising those families.' Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.
Scoop
3 hours ago
- Scoop
'Butter Is Expensive Right Now. There's No Getting Away From That' - Finance Minister Nicola Willis
The Finance Minister does not believe New Zealanders are getting a "raw deal" on butter, but has accepted there is no getting away from how expensive it is right now. Nicola Willis met with Fonterra's chief executive Miles Hurrell at Parliament on Tuesday evening. While the two meet regularly, there was increased interest in the meeting due to the current price of butter. Willis had earlier said it was something she would discuss with Hurrell. Characterising the meeting as "constructive and engaging," Willis said Hurrell was candid about the way butter was priced in New Zealand. Her summarisation of her meeting with Fonterra largely zeroed in on her drive to increase supermarket competition. The large proportion of what people pay for butter is dictated by global demand, which is something the government could not control. "Were that price to come down, you would expect that to be reflected in the prices that New Zealand shoppers pay," Willis said. Hurrell had told her that butter had once been the hardest product for Fonterra to sell globally, but the increasing demand was due to reporting on its health benefits. "It was once viewed as a bogeyman," she said. The meeting had reinforced Willis' interest in increasing supermarket competition to put downward pressure on the price of butter. "All roads lead back to supermarket competition. I continue to believe that is the most powerful lever that the government has on this issue. We will never be able to control global dairy prices. What we can influence is the amount of competition in New Zealand's grocery sector and we have a lot of work underway to address that." Fonterra had also observed the supermarket competition. "Miles specifically conveyed that Fonterra operates in a number of markets around the world, most of which have a more competitive supermarket sector, and that it does feel different in New Zealand." She would leave it to supermarkets and Fonterra to argue who was charging what margin. "The sense that I got from my engagement with Miles is that it's a constant battle between them. Each party are probably going to point fingers at the other." Hurrell would not answer questions when RNZ approached him outside Parliament on Tuesday night, but a Fonterra spokesperson said the meeting was "constructive". Willis said she had encouraged Hurrell to front, in particular to explain what proportion of the margins go to Fonterra and what goes to supermarkets. Acknowledging that Fonterra's job was to get the best possible price for its shareholders, Willis also accepted New Zealanders saw the downsides of that when they were shopping. "I've been satisfied that I don't think consumers are getting a raw deal. I think that there is good work going on to ensure that there is pressure and competition from Fonterra to try and keep its prices low. But I get it. Butter is expensive right now. There's no getting away from that."
Techday NZ
3 hours ago
- Techday NZ
New Zealand's place in global cyber defence - From medieval knights to cybercriminals
During World War I, the British Expeditionary Force was the first military unit to cross the English Channel. This highly trained army featuring cavalry armed with lances, sabres, and rifles was the last reminder of medieval warfare. They were quickly brought low by machine guns, barbed wire and trenches. By the time the war ended, a mere 13 years after the invention of flight, the skies were filled with fighter planes. Conflict quickly reveals what works and what doesn't. In 2025, global instability has reshaped the battlefield once again. This time, it's digital. The rise of digital guerilla warfare We are witnessing a new kind of conflict: digital guerrilla war. This is where decentralised cybercriminal groups are being funded by shadowy nation states to carry out cyber-attacks. These hidden attackers "live off the land" by using legitimate tools to infiltrate systems and strike when least expected. Government entities are frequent targets, but private and listed companies are just as vulnerable. A major attack on them wouldn't just impact businesses, it could affect national stability and disrupt the economy. New Zealand, like the rest of the world, is locked in a cyber battle where threats can come from anywhere, at any time. Today, the front line is everywhere. This might sound excessive and overdramatic, but that's the reality all business leaders need to understand. A key concept in cyber security is that the investment to prevent harm should be in proportion to the needs of the business. But for many businesses, simple technology choices supported by people and processes are enough to mitigate most threats. But some organisations play integral roles in society and we can't afford for them not have the best security procedures in place. The Government must lead on critical infrastructure Critical infrastructure faces a much bigger threat. Last year, the United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), found proof that a state backed cyber security group, Volt Typhoon, had secretly infiltrated critical infrastructure providers across the Western world. Their goal? To cause disruption at a key moment. Another group, backed by the same nation-state, Salt Typhoon, has infiltrated nine major U.S. telecoms, accessing call data, text messages, and even recordings of prominent national leaders. New Zealanders have a right to know that our infrastructure is being protected, and that the government is investing in national cyber defence before disaster strikes. Cyber threats are no longer just a business problem; they're a national security issue. Is New Zealand doing enough to protect its critical infrastructure? Right now, the answer is no. We're at risk of falling behind. In late 2024, Australia passed sweeping cybersecurity legislation to harden national defences. The new laws require industries to uphold high security standards and give the government powers to intervene in the event of a serious breach. These reforms came in the wake of a string of devastating cyber incidents, including major data breaches at Medibank, Optus, and Latitude Finance in 2022 and 2023. The Latitude breach alone became the second largest in Australian history and the most damaging for citizens. It was also New Zealand's largest-ever data breach, exposing the personal information of 20% of our population. Australia has been put serious effort into building its cyber posture at a national level, with a vision of being a global leader in cybersecurity by 2030. In a world reliant on digital infrastructure, this will be a key competitive advantage. New Zealand has the chance to tell the same story, but only if we act soon. That's why we need the government to enact legislation that will protect our country and people. I appreciate developing legislation is not trivial, but the template has been created in Australia and it's in everyone's interest to reflect that over here. This will require some businesses to invest more to become compliant, but that's the point, that we all incur comparable costs to achieve a common standard. Cyber security is complex to understand. Humans evolved to recognise that a warrior charging at you is a threat, not a remote network of industrialised guerilla fighters with keyboards, backed by nations hiding their true intent. New Zealand must not wait until we're reacting to disaster. We need a nationally unified, proactive cyber defence to protect our people, businesses, and critical systems before it's too late.
