IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) will roll out the second major update of its Landonline system on October 8.

“Release 2.10 is the second of several major updates coming up over the next 12 months, primarily to deliver the functionality to enable 100% e-lodgement of title transactions,” says Katrina Jacobsen, manager customers. “These releases are also the main way LINZ will deliver system maintenance and enhancements.”

State Services Minister Trevor Mallard welcomed the announcement today that more local government services will be available on-line.

An agreement has been reached by Local Government New Zealand and the State Services Commission's E-government Unit to support the government web portal www.govt.nz with local government information.

The department put out a tender earlier this month for computer companies interested in developing and supporting an e-census system.

Broadband adoption in New Zealand is continuing to grow strongly, with mobile and wireless connections standing out in analyst Paul Budde's latest market analysis.

Over a 15-month period, from March 2008 to June 2009, the number of subscribers with cellular, cable or satellite connections climbed by 53 percent, Budde says, to total 220,000.

Fixed line broadband grew by 14 percent in 2009, above the OECD average.

The ability for government agencies to move high value transactions online has moved a step closer today with the Government providing $9 million in capital funding for the Identity Verification Service (IVS), says State Services Minister Annette King.

The investment over 2007/08 and 2008/09, together with approximately $1 million in operating costs for 2007/08 to come from reprioritisation within existing State Services Commission e-government funding, will provide a more secure yet simple online environment for delivering government services to the public using the highest level of confidence for establishing an individual's identity.

The comprehensive RFI is far-reaching and services-rich, requesting information embracing many of the new advanced unified communications services coming to market, including; mobile VoIP via WLAN services, one number converged IP telephony, one mailbox, 3G roaming, mobile extension, PDA synchronisation, call centre virtualisation, presence, videoconferencing and SMS applications to name just a few.

A greater level of district health board funding, supported by national funding, has been called for by the National Health IT Board to pay for proposed health information solutions.

In the 2008/09 financial year the DHBs combined investment in IT projects was $60 million, with the cost of operating and maintaining health IT systems coming in at $170 million.

“It could be a bloody disaster,” Pink told an audience at the government IT managers (GOVIS) conference in Wellington last week.

“Directions and Priorities for Government ICT sets the policy direction for the government’s use of ICT and requires Ministers, chief executives and officials to work together to better manage this investment.

“ICT is a $2 billion spend for the government and any savings or efficiencies this move creates will make a real difference down the track.

Officially launched today, www.biz.org.nz aims to provide all the information businesses are likely to need on a wide range of compliance regulations.

The website (www.gg.govt.nz), which has a fresh modern look, also includes new image galleries and allows readers to subscribe to new content through the use of an RSS feed. Significant resources for the media—speeches, press releases, lists of engagements and downloadable photographs—are also available.

"Information management is an essential and important legacy," said Judith Tizard when launching the two new recordkeeping standards for government and local government agencies.

The next major challenge for e-government in New Zealand is to focus on the needs of the customer rather than government agencies, says new e-government unit head Laurence Millar.

Health IT strategy got a check-up in Auckland last week and was found to be more than a little septic.

Speaking at the Health Informatics NZ (HINZ) seminar in Auckland last week, Hutt Valley District Health Board chief executive Chai Chuah said the sector was riddled with policies and strategies, many of which were just words without any substance.

A survey plan, which is prepared by a registered surveyor, is required as part of the resource consent process for a new subdivision. The plan is a legal document showing the new boundaries of the site.

The funding is part of the government’s wider contestable Broadband Investment Fund of $340 million. Communications and Information Technology Minister David Cunliffe announced that applications for the funding opened today.