Moving towards a digital marketplace with the New Zealand Business Number (NZBN)

As we move towards a truly digital business environment, the NZBN will become central to the way we do business. Over time, the NZBN will enable new services and innovations across finance, customer service, procurement, supply chain management, data and more.

Every business in New Zealand can now get an NZBN(external link) – it’s a unique identifier, which links to an organisation’s key information. By making it quicker and easier to share basic information, like a business’s trading name and phone number, the NZBN will help businesses connect and interact with each other, and with government agencies.

By building the NZBN into your systems and processes today, you can prepare to take advantage of the new opportunities it enables. Here are five simple ways to get started with the NZBN.

  1. Get your NZBN
    Many businesses already have an NZBN – find yours by searching the NZBN Register. If your business doesn’t have an NZBN, get yours at nzbn.govt.nz. It’s free.
  2. Share it
    Add your NZBN to documentation like your invoices, receipts, email signatures and letterheads.
  3. Identify your business
    Use your NZBN to identify yourself when interacting or transacting with other businesses or government.
  4. Connect the dots
    Start recognising the businesses you work with by their NZBN. The NZBN’s free data matching service can help match your customers or suppliers to their NZBN.
  5. Ask for the NZBN
    Ask new customers or suppliers for their NZBN during the sign up process. When interacting or transacting with current customers or suppliers, ask for their NZBN.

It’s the future of business

The NZBN will create a transactional environment with greater certainty of identity, more reliable information and less duplication. It will be faster and easier to procure and supply goods/services, apply for tenders, identify customers and suppliers, consolidate reports, and more. Click here to learn more about the NZBN(external link), and how it will transform the way Kiwis do business, visit nzbn.govt.nz.