Around the world, governments are going online and offering information and services over the Internet. This article looks at what e-government is, what it offers, and what's happening in New Zealand at the moment.

What is e-government?

E-government is the use of digital technologies to enable citizens, businesses, and visitors to access services and information from government 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In New Zealand, the e-government initiative is managed by the e-government unit, which has been set up under the State Services Commission. The e-government unit has a central role in achieving the e-government mission - that by 2004, the Internet will be the dominant means of enabling ready access to government information, services, and processes.

What are the benefits?

Three key benefits of government online were outlined at the e-government vendor briefing in May this year (2001):

- convenience and satisfaction;
- integration and efficiency; and
- participation.


Convenience and satisfaction will be achieved by delivering services more quickly and directly. The idea is that we should be able to transact with the Government, regardless of our physical location or the time of the day.

E-government will lead to integration and efficiency because interaction with government departments will be carried out through one central portal, rather than on a one to one basis with each department.

Greater participation for citizens and businesses in government will be achieved because e-government will provide multiple channels for contact with the Government and all key government information will be published online.



How is this going to happen?

Currently the e-government unit is involved in several projects that can broadly be categorised under the following headings:

- technological;
- institutional and legal; and
- cultural.

The e-government unit's main priority in the technological area is establishing a metadata framework. Metadata is data about data - it describes how, when, and by whom a particular set of data was collected and formatted. The establishment of this framework is crucial to ensure consistency across all government agencies in the classification of data. Interoperability of systems is another key area that the e-government unit is focussing on.

In the institutional and legal area, the main project is the Electronic Transactions Bill that is currently before Parliament. Another project is the development of an authentication policy to ensure that information exchanges are both secure and private and that people are correctly identified online.

To ensure that the benefits of transacting electronically are achieved, the e-government unit recognises that government agencies must also make a cultural shift. This shift must occur internally, as well as externally with citizens and businesses. To facilitate this, there are two key projects underway: e-procurement and secure environments. E-procurement for the larger departments will start from later this year (2001). Work on the Secure Electronic Environment Project ("the SEE project") is also underway. This will allow departments to swap information and data in a secure environment.

Where are we at the moment?

Already there are some online government functions. For example, employers can file their monthly schedules with Inland Revenue via the ir-File, and companies can be registered via the Companies Office site. However, we have a long way to go before the e-government mission is achieved.

So what are some of the key deliverables for the e-government unit in the next few months? In July of this year (2001), the Government will tender for a commercial system for e-procurement. Later this year, policies, and standards on metadata and interoperability will be released. A single portal will be unveiled, which will provide access to all government agencies. The SEE project will be rolled out to some government departments, and progress will be made with the Electronic Transactions Bill.

The Future...

While it may be hard to imagine, the e-government unit's aim is that by 2004 all transactions with the Government will be online. This will provide significant challenges and opportunities for all key stakeholders -government agencies, vendors, consultants, and users of government services. In this article we have highlighted some of the key initiatives and upcoming events to watch out for. However, this is an ever changing and evolving area. To see how the e-government unit delivers on its promises, watch this space.

Important Facts
"New Zealand will be a world leader in e-government"
- e-government vision

By 2004, all transactions with the Government will be on-line

This is a general summary only and should not be taken as a substitute for specific advice.

x-tech group Simpson Grierson
Web site: x-tech group Simpson Grierson


Contacts

Michael Sage, Partner,michael.sage@simpsongrierson.com
Earl Gray, Partner,earl.gray@simpsongrierson.com

July 2001