eInvoicing Adoption Leaders Group minutes – 6 October 2025

Meeting details

Date

• Monday, 6 October 2025

Time

• 1:00pm to 2:30pm (Auckland, Wellington)
• 10:00am to 11:30pm (Brisbane) and 11:00am to 12:30pm (Melbourne, Sydney)

Locations

• Auckland: Westpac NZ, Auckland 1010
• Wellington: Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) office, Wellington 6011
• Remote (Australia and rest of New Zealand): MS Teams

Attendance

Minutes

• Welcome and administration

• Address from the Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing

• NZ Government Procurement Policy and eInvoicing update

• Debrief of eInvoicing Community of Practice (eCoP) meeting

• Champion Roundtable – eInvoicing journey, lessons learned and discussion on future directions 

• Closing remarks

Welcome and administration

The co-chairs welcomed everyone to the meeting and the Minister for Small Business. The minister was invited to address the group.

Address from the Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing

• The Minister for Small Business provided his opening remarks, outlining his vision for eInvoicing in New Zealand. The Minister encouraged members to provide feedback on the future direction of eInvoicing adoption through the Leaders Group and emphasised the importance of cross-sector collaboration to ensure its success.

NZ Government Procurement Policy and eInvoicing update

• The Director, Smart Data Economy thanked attendees and spoke about the global momentum behind eInvoicing. Highlights included: 
  • New countries joining the Peppol network
  • New Zealand’s recent membership in the Digital Business Networks Alliance (USA)
• A presentation was delivered showcasing the latest progress on eInvoicing, with more member 
  organisations now live
• The group discussed the new updates to NZ Government Procurement rules
• Current government agency payment time reporting was shared, noting the data is now publicly 
  available.

Debrief of eInvoicing Community of Practice (eCoP) meeting

• The Strategic Engagement Lead provided a summary of the recent eInvoicing Community of Practice (eCoP) meeting, highlighting key themes and feedback from participants.

Champion Roundtable – eInvoicing journey, lessons learned and discussion on future directions 

• A member organisation is currently using their mail house for eInvoicing, evolving from existing Electronic Data Interchange systems. Testing is scheduled to begin this month.
• A member organisation has been live with their new billing system for 6 months. eInvoicing is not yet configured but is part of the future roadmap. They expressed interest in joining the eCoP.
• A member organisation reported steady growth in platform usage, with a 4% increase over the past 6 months. Active users rose by 21%, and transactions increased by 25% in the same period. Another bulk registration is planned for fourth quarter. Sending activity is currently concentrated among a few large partners. They would like to see more large senders join the network.
• A member organisation noted a significant increase in onboarding success last quarter, with a 99% success rate. However, only 23% of government agencies are onboarded, with customisation requirements being the main barrier. The eCoP forum has been helpful in navigating these challenges.
• A member organisation provided an update on eInvoicing momentum and engagement in Australia, highlighting the need for greater standardisation to sustain progress.
• A member organisation has been enabled for eInvoicing via one of their systems for some time, but uptake has been limited due to data standardisation and custom requirements. They are about to go live with their legacy billing system and aim to begin sending to small businesses by 1 January 2026. The format to be used will be a statement rather than a traditional invoice.
• A member organisation is live with receiving eInvoices and is actively participating in the eCoP. With 90% of suppliers using their existing platform, they are exploring integration options. They expect the government mandate to drive broader adoption and network effects.
• A member organisation is currently sending eInvoices to MBIE and will soon begin sending to another government agency. They noted the positive impact of standardisation but cautioned against underestimating the long tail of adoption. They acknowledged the support of the eInvoicing team.
• A member organisation raised concerns about New Zealand Business Number (NZBN)-related issues, data standardisation, and bespoke requirements, which are limiting expansion beyond mandated government departments. They expect New Zealand Government Procurement (NZGP) to address this. They also commented on the complexity of Australia’s invoice payment reporting regime, which is now in place. Their mail house entity has a large pipeline, but many are waiting for a mandate.
• A member organisation reported that eInvoicing volumes have doubled over the past 6 months.

Closing remarks

• The group concluded that, in the absence of a mandate, the private sector is generally reluctant to implement eInvoicing, as the business case alone does not provide sufficient incentive. They concurred that establishing a further stronger business mandate would be beneficial.
• There was a discussion on implementing the new procurement rules and their impact on existing business processes, particularly with respect to the subcontractor payment time requirement.
• The Minister acknowledged the insights and experiences shared by the members. He feels very positive about the group.

Networking, meeting closed at 2:45pm.