New Zealand's Integrated Statistical Data System (ISDS) represents an opportunity to rethink how trust is designed into modern statistical infrastructure. The project builds on the strong foundations established through the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) and other operational statistical registers, evolving and building new assets with greater ability to connect and use for statistical production. This initiative is not simply a technology replacement. It is an opportunity to examine how trusted products can be developed and access can be provided to integrated data, in an environment increasingly shaped by cloud technologies, evolving public expectations, and changing views on data governance.
This presentation will discuss how the ISDS project is drawing on established approaches and frameworks, and how these can be applied and evolved in a modern cloud-enabled environment. The focus is on embedding trust by design throughout the system, from architecture and security controls through to governance, access management, stewardship and operational decision-making. Statistical design is central to this approach: the methods used to integrate and link person, business and place data, maintain statistical entities and registers, and assess quality underpin both trust in the data and its consistent reuse for official statistics and research.
The session will also explore some of the enduring questions that remain live within the project. These include balancing innovation with public trust, responding to increasing expectations around data sovereignty, understanding organisational and societal appetite for change, and ensuring governance arrangements remain fit for purpose in a rapidly evolving data landscape. While technology decisions are important, many of the most significant challenges sit at the intersection of governance, ethics, stewardship, and social licence.
