IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

Inland Revenue has teamed up with software developers and concerned agencies to come up with the software.

“The business transformation programme is cutting back paper forms and will let businesses manage most taxes through their normal business or payroll software,” said Revenue Minister Peter Dunne.

Wellington-based employees involved in helping deliver the smart cities solution.

New Zealand-founded software startup ThunderMaps has secured $1.5 million of European investment as it prepares to enter the smart cities market on the Continent.

Developing software targeted towards improving health and safety in organisations, and communication tools for governments and organisations, ThunderMaps has now launched its European base in Sweden, focused on smart cities software.

Advises officials to be ‘comfortable’ with tech to bridge gap with industry.

Governments are increasingly focused on digital services, but the tech sector needs to better understand what agencies need, New Zealand Government Chief Information Officer has told GovInsider.

“Digital has become core business for government now”, Colin MacDonald said in an interview published today, but it remains “a challenge to the technology and the digital industry to become much more versed in the business of government, and to be able to work right at the core of what governments and what businesses do”.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Steven Joyce today announced the first areas that would be part of the programme, after Crown Fibre Holdings (CFH) concluded negotiations with two partner companies, Northpower and Ultra Fast Fibre.

They were Whangarei, Hamilton, Cambridge, Te Awamutu, Tauranga, New Plymouth, Wanganui, Hawera and Tokoroa.

New Zealand Rural General Practice Network chairman, Dr Jo Scott-Jones, made the comments on the day (Wednesday Sept 4th) the Opotiki Telehealth Project was launched by Health Minister Tony Ryall.

The NEN is a government initiative that seeks to bring ultra-fast broadband to schools. 23 schools have been equipped with unrestricted broadband at 100Mb/s or greater since the first two trials took place from 2008 to 2009. The NEN trial extension hopes to equip another 200 schools with fast, reliable and affordable broadband connection by June 2011. Target schools are those that currently have open-access fibre connectivity.

The announcement on the New Zealand Radio Spectrum Management website says:

Communications and Information Technology Minister David Cunliffe and Police Minister Annette King today announced the allocation of VHF and UHF spectrum for the exclusive use of agencies with responsibility for public protection and disaster relief (PPDR). This allocation affects such agencies as the police, border control and civil defence.

University of Canterbury (UC) senior teacher education lecturer Wendy Fox-Turnbull says the knowledge age has arrived and New Zealand can no longer continue to rely on primary produce to boost its gross domestic product.

``ICT is an area of huge potential and one in which we can compete on the world stage, and it doesn’t rely on large supplies of natural resources.

Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Doan Toan received New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Wendy Matthews on April 11 to discuss bilateral ties.

At the reception, Toan said the capital has made efforts to build highly competent human resources for the fourth industrial revolution, and to develop a smart city and e-governance system.

Ho Chi Minh City and New Zealand’s Wellington city should join hands and support each other to successfully develop smart urban areas as soon as possible, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Council Nguyen Van Dung has said.

At a meeting with member of the Wellington City Council Sarah Free in Wellington on October 11 (New Zealand time), Dung stressed that the Vietnamese southern hub is carrying out the National Assembly’s Resolution No.98 on piloting special mechanisms and policies for HCM City’s development, with highlights being urban area, investment attraction, startup and innovation.