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Government Digital Strategy for Business |
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October 2007 |
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The Ministry of Economic Development (MED) launched a Digital Strategy 2 years ago and will host a conference in November 2007 to review and set the agenda for the next 4 years. What really is this Digital Strategy (DS) and how does it benefit or affect the Business Communities? This article aims to provide some background information. Version 1 of the DS saw the Government commit around $400 million of our monies to various programs including building fiber-optic networks, helping ICT skill developments, creating cultural and business web portals, digitizing our National Archives, bolstering e-education and pushing a digital agenda across government departments. By doing so, the Government hoped to get the country from its 22nd position in 2003 on the 30 nation OECD ICT ladder in to the top half by 2007 and the top quarter by 2010. Well, the latest Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) statistics have come out and New Zealand has crawled up 3 positions. The statistics confirmed that we are better off than 4 years ago but have our monies been used for the optimal effects? The chief executive of the Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand (TUANZ) has said, “The private sector and especially those outside Wellington have been left out in the cold”. The Acting Director of ICT-NZ believes “the Digital Strategy has been too government focused, and its goals should include encouraging industry to up-skill and work smarter”. In response, the DS program manager says the November summit will look at ways business and communities can be supported by government. For more information such as the Digital Future Summit 2 which is being open for registration, please see: http://www.digitalstrategy.govt.nz/. Feel free to express your views by return email and allow us to post them on www.compucon.co.nz for public sharing.
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