Executive Summary
Vision
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, communities and society as a whole.
The Purpose of the Digital Strategy
The government is determined that its citizens enjoy the benefits that ICT can bring.
To this end, it has implemented a wide range of ICT-related initiatives, including the roll-out of e-government, promotion of e-commerce to business, ICT strategies for health, education and national heritage collections, community ICT initiatives, and legislative changes in telecommunications and e-transactions.
The Digital Strategy provides an integrated framework for existing and future initiatives to encourage the uptake and effective use of ICT for economic, social and cultural gain.
Developing ICT infrastructure is a necessary condition for reaping the benefits of ICT, but more than that is needed. Complementary innovations in society's systems, processes and institutions, in business management, and in individual skills and behaviour which shape what we do with the new opportunities that ICT provides are also needed.
The Strategy contains bold new actions for the future. It provides a direction for government policy for the next five years, and will ensure that ICT-related strategies and actions are co-ordinated and focused on the key opportunities and challenges.
Building the Strategy
There are three high-level roles for the government: leadership by example, facilitating change and mitigating risk.
ICToffers new ways to deliver government services and create desired outcomes.
In addition to the work of central government, other parts such as local government, businesses, communities, community and voluntary organisations, philanthropic agencies and individuals all have their own roles to play.
Creating the Conditions
In order to reap the social and economic benefits of ICT, three interrelated areas for action are required:
- Content: Information made available via digital networks;
- Confidence and capability: The necessary skills to use ICT effectively; and
- Connection: Affordable access to ICT infrastructure such as telecommunications networks, computers and mobile phones.
The government's role is to enable better access to the information contained in public collections, promote public confidence and capability in the use of ICT, and ensure that affordable ICT infrastructure is available to all.
Realising the Benefits
The government's role in realising the benefits is to:
- facilitate communities and individuals to use ICT effectively;
- promote innovation in New Zealand businesses; and
- use ICT to transform government.
Policy development in all these areas must be coherent and integrated. The greatest benefits will flow when the whole system is ICT-enabled.
The Desired Outcomes
Content: Through the effective use of ICT, the social, cultural and economic value of New Zealand's stock of content will be unlocked, giving New Zealanders seamless and easy access to the information that is important to all aspects of their lives.
Confidence and capability: All New Zealanders will have the necessary literacy skills to maximise their opportunities using digital means.
The environment for ICT use in New Zealand must therefore be secure, reliable and well regulated.
The public will be safety-aware, and will have a well founded trust in the use of ICT.
Connection: New Zealand will have an information and communications network infrastructure that provides the level of connection necessary to meet the high demands of an information-empowered society. It will meet the requirements of all users and will be readily accessible and affordable.
Communities:ICT will be an important tool for realising the social, cultural and economic ambitions of our communities and citizens.
Businesses: New Zealand businesses in all sectors will have the necessary knowledge, management capability and access to content and ICT infrastructure to create innovative products and processes and increase productivity. The ICT sector will contribute 10% of New Zealand's GDP by 2012.
The government: Information, service delivery and government processes will be integrated across agencies to ensure that the New Zealand government is responsive, citizen-centric and cost-effective. Information and services will be customised to the needs of citizens and businesses, and accessible from a single point of contact. Agencies will adopt a whole-of-government perspective when designing and implementing services.
Where to Next
The completion of this draft Digital Strategy concludes phase 1 of the Digital Strategy. Phase 1 was an inter-departmental process, across the whole of government, to develop this draft Digital Strategy for public consultation. Two additional phases to follow are phase 2: consultation and phase 3: implementation.
The aim of the consultation phase is to receive your input on this draft Digital Strategy. Your input is sought on the general direction and the specific actions contained in this Strategy. Government agencies will be consulting with a wide cross-section of New Zealanders and all your input will be carefully considered when finalising this draft Strategy later this year.
The finalised Digital Strategy and the recommended action plans will be implemented in phase 3. This phase will continue for the next five years. Government agencies implementing new actions proposed in the finalised Strategy will need to go through the Budget process before the actions can be confirmed as government policy.
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