ID Cards should be introduced in New Zealand - speech

Essay by gr34tadi_daHigh School, 10th grade August 2007

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Good afternoon. As the first speaker of our team has implemented, introducing a National Identity card will be highly beneficial to our country, and its people. I will be speaking about the societal benefits of introducing a national ID card, and how the community is made safer and a better place to live in.

Documents, such as driver's licenses, and passports, are in the current day, used as a means of instant identification. However, these are not properly suited for identification purposes. A driver’s license or passport holds only a photograph, name, and age, while a National ID card would be capable of holding far information than this. These might include address, an identification number, profession or rank, restrictions, and citizenship status. The card would also have the potential of being connected to a database able to store literally unlimited amounts of information. So it is obviously clear how a Driver’s License or Passport is no substitute for a National ID card.

New Zealand needs a National Identity card introduced into its society. Many countries have already implemented National ID cards, or are on their way to implementing National ID cards, into their society, such as Spain, Great Britain and even the USA. One of their main reasons for doing so is a simple, yet fundamentally important one. ID Cards WILL reduce crime. The ID cards will greatly reduce social issues in our community, such as underage drinking and underage driving. The Cards can be used to identify those that are underage while drinking, when most people would not be expected to be carrying their driver’s license or passport. One of the greatest benefits to this is that past offences and a criminal record can be stored on the card, so that repeated offenders can be easily prosecuted.

New Zealand has a huge problem with dangerous drivers. Boy racers are one of the main causes of this. A national identity card will be able to reduce the number of dangerous drivers, by enabling police to easily identify people with a bad driving record when they get caught. This will effectively reduce the number of offences, give police an easier job, thereby making society a safer place for us all.

Instant identification via a National Identity card also has benefits for restrictive purposes. They can be used to identify whether someone is of the age required to purchase alcohol, which has been problem up till now. This is mainly because liqueur-store owners have been inclined to sell alcohol to make a profit, rather than sticking to the law, because customers claim that they “forgot” their drivers license, and don’t have any other forms of ID. A national ID card has the potential to be able to restrict those who are underage by making customers get their ID card scanned before being able to purchase alcohol. This will strongly reduce the number of underage drinking accidents. The same principle can be applied for purchasing cigarettes etc. As you can clearly see, introducing National Identity cards unlocks a world of potential at the government’s fingertips.

Not only can ID cards be used to prevent underage purchasing of restricted items, they can also prevent underage entry into clubs, casinos, and pubs, which authorities have been known to be lax at times about in the past, when the only means of Identification were credit cards and drivers licenses. A quick swipe of an ID card and authorities can instantly find out whether or not you are allowed into a club or casino.

These ID cards will even help employers keep track of who they employ. Factors such as whether or not they’re of age, their criminal record, job history. All at the job applicant’s approval of course. As far as invasion of privacy goes, if you’ve done nothing wrong, you’ve got nothing to fear.

ID cards will dynamically transform the way society functions, into a modern, more advanced way of life. Just like the invention of the computer or the cell phone, technology like this always attracts criticism in the beginning, but in the end, the public will realize the benefits far outweigh the cons.

So let us break free of the past. The traditional means of identification are no longer sufficient for our modern society. Let National ID cards pave the way into future. A future where teens can’t by alcohol and cigarettes underage, a future where criminals can be identified with the swipe of a card. A future where only those of age can gain access into pubs, clubs and casinos. A future where you and your family can feel safe in the community, with a sturdy society, tight security and definite means of identification. National Identity Cards. If you have done nothing wrong, you’ve got nothing to fear. Thank you.