IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Figures released today show 32.4 per cent of New Zealanders used secure online government services during the July to September quarter, up from 29.9 per cent when measurements started in June.

Aiming for a more comprehensive telehealth system, the Minister noted, “Not only are we planning to expand the ways people receive advice, we are also looking at having a wider range of health professionals available for people to talk to, such as pharmacists.”

Die offenen Regierungsdaten sollen die Verwaltung effizienter und verantwortlicher machen und mehr Mitwirkung bei Entscheidungen sicherstellen. Außerdem sollen sich so die politischen und wirtschaftlichen Initiativen zentraler, regionaler und lokaler Behörden besser aufeinander abstimmen lassen. Auch andere Daten, deren Erstellung aus Steuermitteln bezahlt wurde, sollen im Interesse des Bildungssystems und der Forschung offengelegt werden.

In Neuseeland hat die Polizei einen Einbrecher mithilfe des Social Networks Facebook gefasst. Nachdem der ungeschickte Dieb seine Maskierung abgenommen hatte und von Überwachungskameras aufgezeichnet wurde, stellte ein Polizist das Video bei Facebook online. Der 21-jährige Täter, der versucht hatte, einen Safe in einem Restaurant zu knacken, wurde daraufhin innerhalb von 24 Stunden identifiziert und verhaftet. Bei der Polizei in Queenstown, im Süden Neuseelands, spricht man vom ersten "Facebook-Arrest". Die ungewöhnliche Fahndungsmethode wird nun von der Polizei in Neuseeland nun auch landesweit als Experiment eingesetzt, berichtet Times Online.

Despite the differences in Singapore and New Zealand’s styles of government, there are things this country can learn from Singapore’s e-government experiences says Li-Wee Chew, a principal consultant with Singapore Computer Systems.

In an interview with his predecessor, now the editor-at-large of FutureGov Asia Pacific, Laurence Millar, Brendan Boyle said the short-to-medium term targets for his new role centred around the uptake of i.govt and one.govt - New Zealand’s shared services for identity management and secure network.

Boyle, who is Secretary of Internal Affairs and will take up the new post in February, said the public sector was reaching “critical mass on shared services.”

Jayasinha shares the drivers, strategies and technologies behind the Council’s ongoing business and ICT transformation programme.

Peter Fitness, acting director, defence commercial services, New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), shared insights about e-procurement trends, noting that integrated e-payment systems support an ongoing journey to streamline the purchase of goods and services.

Using e-government effectively can help deliver positive results by adjusting government policies to use the information age (ie the internet), thereby achieving performance gains across wide sectors of a country. E-government can provide a better way for people to access government information and services in a cost effective way.

‘Biometrics provides better tools which allow Immigration to confirm an individual’s identity and protect New Zealand’s border,’ he explained.

INZ now has the ability to store photos of all non-New Zealanders and extend the powers to require fingerprints in some circumstances.

Together with these RFPs, a policy framework is being developed by the Department of Internal Affairs in tandem with core agencies. This department is expected to report back to relevant ministers by the end of 2012 about broad-based cloud adoption plans.

Cloud computing will enable agencies to pay per-use for ICT products and services delivered through networks, rather than maintain their own ICT infrastructure, according to NZ’s Minister for Internal Affairs, Chris Tremain.

This review, announced by the ministry’s Chief Executive, Brendan Boyle, follows on from a number of high-profile security breaches.

These breaches occurred when a blogger was able to access thousands of personal files, including background about children at risk, adoption arrangements, foster parents, and citizens that owed money to the ministry.

Figures released by the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) confirm that New Zealanders are embracing on-line services in larger numbers. A higher volume of services and information is being accessed on-line.

The Directions and Priorities for Government ICT featured themes common in most governments ('fewer moving parts', 'reuse, before buy, before build' etc.) but are distinguished by also setting clear expectations for Ministers and agency Chief Executive Officers (CEOs).

New Zealand's Prime Minister, John Key, had been in close touch with the Internet giant Google representatives, in order to beef up the process of going digital, therefore enhancing the efficiency of public services - at the same time reducing the cost-structure, substantially.

Amy Adams, New Zealand's ICT minister, on Thursday said that over 100,000 homes, businesses and schools can connect to the government Ultra Fast Broadband (UFB) network, up from the 76,000 premises it said the network passed in August.

Leading the deployment charge is Chorus, a new wholesale company created when Telecom New Zealand divested the business last year, with 72,000 premises connected. Enable Networks, the fiber operator subsidiary of Christchurch City Holdings Limited, has made 1,021 connections.