E-Commerce: A Key to Economic Transformation
The August 2001 Knowledge Wave Conference, which the Government co-sponsored with the University of Auckland, stimulated widespread debate about the need to build a knowledge-based economy and how we might go about achieving this.
Implementing the E-Commerce Strategy is a priority in this drive for economic transformation. It is one of a number of significant government initiatives directed at this goal. Collectively these initiatives underscore the Government's commitment and determination to extensively enhance New Zealand's future growth and prosperity. They include:
- the E-Government Strategy released in April 2001, and the associated work by the State Services Commission E-Government Unit;
- work by the Science and Innovation Council to build New Zealand's innovation framework;
- a number of programmes, run under the auspices of Industry NZ, to support businesses and industry and regional development, including the availability of e-commerce training through the BIZ programme;
- a major e-business initiative by Trade New Zealand to jumpstart New Zealand exporters' access to online trading in the global economy;
- support for business incubators through the Business Incubator Support Programme;
- establishment of the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund, with capital of $100 million, as a vehicle for co-investing with the private sector in seed-stage and start-up New Zealand businesses based on technology or high value-added goods and services;
- work by the Tertiary Education Advisory Commission to identify how New Zealand can develop a more co-operative and collaborative tertiary education sector that will better support the goal of becoming a world-leading knowledge society;
- initiatives in the education sector to ensure schools have adequate computers, good connections to the Internet and to enhance the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the classroom;
- plans announced by the Immigration Minister to increase the annual number of skilled and business migrants to New Zealand;
- the Telecommunications Bill, designed to encourage greater competition and more investment in the telecommunications market and a better deal for consumers; and
- an initiative designed to facilitate the rollout of high speed (broadband) Internet access to all New Zealand communities by 2003 (see below).
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