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The Vision


This Document is Archived


Digital Strategy: A Draft New Zealand Digital Strategy for Consultation - Summary

[ Last Updated 27 January 2006 ]


New Zealand will be a world leader at using information and technology to realise our economic, social and cultural goals.

All New Zealanders will benefit from the power of information and communications technology (ICT) to harness information for economic and social gain.

This will result in changes in government, businesses and communities, and to society as a whole.

Services will be more easily accessible, customised and delivered through many channels in many locations. Government services, such as health and education, will be delivered more efficiently and will be more accessible; compliance with government regulations will be both easier and cheaper.

Our businesses and communities will possess the skills and confidence to utilise national and local information resources to create their own information products and services, to build social and cultural capital, and to communicate our stories to the world.

New Zealand's science and technology research communities will be globally connected and supported by an advanced network infrastructure. All New Zealanders will have easy access to their national heritage collections and the national stock of research and science knowledge.

Such developments are not without risks. ICT can amplify inequalities, cause disruptive changes in work practices, and give rise to new kinds of criminal or nuisance behaviour. We have developed this Digital Strategy to ensure that all New Zealanders can benefit from the power of ICT to harness information for social and economic gain.

What Is ICT?

ICT stands for "information and communications technology". The term includes electronic information-processing technologies such as computers and the Internet, as well as fixed-line telecommunications, mobile phones and other wireless communications, networks, broadband, and various specialised devices ranging from barcode scanners to global positioning systems (GPS). ICT devices can be embedded in other machines and appliances to increase their functionality, from watches and washing machines to cars.

The Six Big ICT Trends of the Past 25 Years

  • The speed and capacity of microprocessors increase. This, combined with the miniaturisation of components, has powered personal computing and a growing range of devices such as the iPod, DVD and GPS.
  • The convergence of different information and communications technologies increases (seen in the merging of ICT and content industries such as publishing, music and film).
  • The cost of technology and access decreases, while its utility increases, driving rapid uptake by businesses and individuals.
  • The degree of connectivity increases, in terms of both the percentage of the population connected and the number of points of access.
  • The bandwidth (that is, the speed and capacity) of networks increases.
  • New technologies, such as the Internet and mobile communications, emerge and are rapidly adopted.

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