Minister's Foreword
We live in a time of rapid and unparalleled technological change.
Our government is committed to bringing the benefits of information and communications technology (ICT) to all New Zealanders - to create a society where ICT empowers everyone to create, access, utilise and share information and knowledge, enabling individuals and communities to achieve their full potential.
On many indicators, New Zealand is among the leading countries in the transition to such a society. Today, more and more New Zealanders are using ICT, such as mobile phones and the Internet, to communicate, to learn and to operate their businesses.
But many of our people and communities do not yet have the access, skills or confidence to get the maximum benefits form ICT. Considerable progress has been made in accelerating the development of the ICT sector, identified as a key focus area under the Growth and Innovation Framework. However, many businesses, especially small businesses and those in other sectors, have yet to realise the full productivity gains that digital technology can bring.
The government has been active in implementing a wide range of ICT initiatives including in e-government, health and education. But there is a need to bring this activity together within a unifying framework and update it in light of the latest technology trends, to guide our ICT-related policies and initiatives over the next five years.
The purpose of the draft Digital Strategy is therefore to provide a unifying vision for using digital technologies to shape an exciting future. As a nation, we are quick to embrace new technologies and we have the skills, education and motivation to use them to create wealth and well-being for all. Our vision is for New Zealand to be a world leader in using information and technology to realise our economic, social and cultural goals.
At the heart of this Strategy is the need to recognise the importance of the key enabling conditions - content, confidence and connection - and the needs of key user groups - individuals and their communities, business and government itself.
This draft Strategy is the result of a whole-of-government process, co-ordinated by the Ministry of Economic Development, and is now released for public feedback and discussion. Your input will be carefully considered in finalising the Strategy this year. I look forward to meeting with many of you at a series of business and community forums.
This Strategy provides an ambitious plan for the development and implementation of policies aimed at achieving the ideal of all New Zealanders benefiting from the power of ICT to harness information for social and economic gain. By working together to implement the Strategy, we can seize the opportunities for increased prosperity and greater social cohesion that the effective use of the tools of ICT can deliver.
Hon David Cunliffe
Associate Minister for Information Technology
Associate Minister of Communication
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