Hospitality New Zealand

What Hospitality New Zealand does

Hospitality New Zealand is a private, non-profit membership trade association founded in 1902 that provides advocacy, training, advice, and resources for hospitality businesses in New Zealand. The organization operates the Kiwi Access Card program, a proof-of-age credential originally launched in 1999 that is used to verify age for purchasing alcohol and other age-restricted products and services across bars, restaurants, clubs, and other New Zealand hospitality venues.

The organization's core technology is undergoing a digital transformation through a partnership announced on 2025-11-06 with NEC, under which the physical Kiwi Access Card is being digitized into a mobile credential called the Kiwi Access Credential. The digital credential is built on NEC's Identity Cloud Platform using global verifiable credential standards and biometrics, designed to minimize data sharing, reduce identity theft and fraud, and achieve accreditation under New Zealand's Digital Identity Services Trust Framework. The system aligns with New Zealand's broader digital identity program, which is targeting mobile driver's licenses in circulation by end of 2025.

As a membership trade association, Hospitality New Zealand's business model is built on member subscriptions and service offerings to the hospitality sector. No publicly disclosed pricing information is available, and no revenue figures are reported in the available source data. With 11-50 employees, the organization operates at a small scale relative to its long history and broad sectoral mandate.

Name

Hospitality New Zealand

Legal name

Hospitality New Zealand

Website

https://hospitality.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hospitality New Zealand is a non-profit membership trade association founded in 1902 that advocates for and supports New Zealand hospitality businesses, operating the Kiwi Access Card proof-of-age credential since 1999 and now digitizing it through a 2025 partnership with NEC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Industry Association

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Security, Identity, Privacy & Compliance (incl. PCI, KYC where applicable) (THALACAO)

Keywords

• Hospitality association
• Industry advocacy
• Membership services
• Training advisory
• Proof of age credential

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Core offering

Hospitality New Zealand is a membership trade association that provides advocacy, training, advice, and resources for hospitality businesses in New Zealand. It also operates the Kiwi Access Card, the country's established proof of age credential launched in 1999, and is launching the Kiwi Access Credential, a mobile digital version built with NEC.

Product overview

Hospitality New Zealand operates the Kiwi Access Card program, a proof of age credential system launched in 1999 for verifying age when purchasing alcohol and other age-restricted products in New Zealand. The organization is currently undergoing a digital transformation through a partnership with NEC to launch the Kiwi Access Credential - a mobile digital version of the original card, built on NEC's Identity Cloud Platform using global verifiable credential standards and biometrics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kiwi Access Card: A proof of age credential launched in 1999 for New Zealand venues.
• Kiwi Access Credential

Products and services

• Kiwi Access Card A proof of age credential launched in 1999, used by New Zealand bars, restaurants, clubs, and other hospitality venues to verify age when serving alcohol and other age-restricted products and services.
• Kiwi Access Credential A mobile digital version of the Kiwi Access Card being developed in partnership with NEC. Built on NEC's Identity Cloud Platform using global verifiable credential standards and biometrics, designed to minimize data sharing and reduce identity theft and fraud during age verification at New Zealand venues.
• Hospitality industry advocacy and advisory services Membership-based advocacy, training, advice, and operational resources provided to New Zealand hospitality businesses, representing the industry and supporting operators with regulatory and operational guidance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Targeting mobile driver's licenses in circulation by end of 2025 as part of broader digital identity program

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NECcoreTechnology or Integration · 6 November 2025NEC announced partnership with Hospitality New Zealand to digitize the Kiwi Access Card into a mobile digital version called the Kiwi Access Credential. The system will be built on NEC's Identity Cloud Platform using global verifiable credential standards and biometrics, aiming to minimize data sharing, reduce identity theft and fraud, and achieve accreditation under New Zealand's Digital Identity Services Trust Framework.

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• ID.me: Digital identity verification network used across commerce and government services. Comparable in delivering digital identity and credentialing infrastructure at scale, with overlap in age/identity verification for regulated transactions.
• Yoti: A digital identity platform offering age-verification solutions (including age-estimation and digital ID apps) used by retailers and venues. Comparable as a digital identity/age-verification provider targeting similar proof-of-age use cases as the Kiwi Access Credential.
• Au10tix: Provider of identity verification and KYC/AML technology for regulated industries. Adjacent peer in the broader digital identity verification infrastructure space that supports age and identity checks.

Regional players

• Accommodation Association of Australia: Australian peak body for accommodation providers. Comparable as a regional trade association providing advocacy and member services to hospitality operators in a neighbouring market.
• Australian Hotels Association (AHA): National peak body for Australia's hotel and hospitality industry, providing advocacy, training and member services. Comparable as a regional hospitality trade association, though operating across state-based divisions.

Broad incumbents

• American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA): The largest US hospitality industry association, representing all segments of the lodging industry. Comparable in being a national advocacy and membership body for hospitality, though much larger in scale and scope than Hospitality NZ.

Direct peers

• UKHospitality: The UK's leading hospitality trade association, representing pubs, restaurants, hotels and contract caterers. Closely comparable in scope and remit — advocacy, training, advice, and resources for hospitality businesses — making it a strong functional peer.
• Restaurant Association of New Zealand: The other principal NZ hospitality trade body, representing restaurants and food-service operators. Directly comparable as a membership association serving the same hospitality member base and engaging in advocacy, training and resources.
• Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA NZ): National membership association for New Zealand's tourism operators, many of whom overlap with hospitality venues. Comparable as a sector trade body providing advocacy, training, and member services within the same NZ hospitality ecosystem.

Others

• NZ Spirits & Wine Suppliers Association: NZ industry association representing alcohol suppliers who share the age-verification regulatory burden with Hospitality NZ's venue members. Comparable as a sector membership body with aligned interests in age-restricted product compliance.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HospitalityNewZealand
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hospitality-new-zealand

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hospitality New Zealand