Boring but Critical: Why Standards Matter More Than You Think
Let’s face it—“standards” isn’t the sexiest word in tech. It conjures up images of paperwork, tick-box compliance, and bureaucratic friction. But here’s the thing: standards are the quiet backbone of trust, safety, and scale—not just in digital systems, but in our daily lives.
We all remember leaky homes and the cost of ignoring proper building standards. Or buildings not up to seismic code. We know the damage that can be done when the foundations—literal or digital—aren’t built to a recognised standard.
The same applies in tech.
A few years ago, a successful New Zealand software company shared with me that they’d designed their platform entirely around local customer needs. They were thriving here, so they decided to go offshore—only to be blindsided by a mess of international requirements. In the EU alone, there were layers of standards they hadn’t planned for: financial software in particular had to comply with PSD2 (the revised Payment Services Directive), GDPR for privacy, anti-money laundering requirements, and ISO/IEC 27001 for information security.
What followed was months of expensive rework.
Their reflection? We should have built to international standards from the start.
Standards aren’t just about compliance
They're about future-proofing your business. When you align early with accepted frameworks—be they in cybersecurity, data interoperability, ethics, accessibility, or privacy—you’re opening the door to global trade. You’re also avoiding the risk of becoming a digital leaky home.
Here are a few things standards help with:
Smoother trade and market access – Standards are the bedrock of reducing non-tariff barriers, especially for small and medium exporters. If you want to sell to the EU, Canada, or parts of Asia, you’ll need to show compliance.
Interoperability – If your product plugs into other ecosystems, APIs, or data services, standards keep it playing nicely with others.
Trust and confidence – Whether it’s ISO27001 for information security or WCAG for accessibility, standards tell your customers you’ve got your act together.
Regulatory alignment – Global regulators are getting more aligned (particularly in finance, health, and data). Building to standards now makes sure you’re not caught out later.
Building maturity into innovation
As a small country with a global mindset, Aotearoa thrives when we innovate. But innovation without structure doesn’t scale. If we want to grow industries like digital tech into serious, export-driven contributors to the economy, we need to embed standards thinking from the beginning. That means designing with global requirements in mind—not retrofitting them later. Maturing as an industry means maturing in how we build.
Let’s build things to last. Let’s build things that scale. Let’s make “boring” our superpower.
Footnote: IT Professionals New Zealand plays an active role in shaping standards. ITP members contribute to international standards through ISO, IEEE, and AS/NZS committees, helping ensure Aotearoa’s voice is represented globally and shaping the development of digital and professional standards. ITP’s CEO also chairs the Standards Approval Board.
