Why we need a Digital Strategy

The government wants all New Zealanders to be able to enjoy the benefits that ICT can bring. The information we access through digital technologies can promote innovation, increase productivity, and enrich the quality of our lives.

Content creation is not only a global business – now it can be anyone’s business. Using digital technologies to create and access our distinctive cultural content enhances our identity as New Zealanders. ICT helps us unlock our stores of national content, making them accessible to everyone, and it is a powerful tool for directing and expressing our creativity.

Lifting productivity is a key government goal. Investing in ICT can have a powerful effect on productivity in almost every industry, driving innovation, cutting costs, and opening up new opportunities. ICT can boost profits, help small firms overcome limitations of size, and enable even tiny enterprises to establish a global presence. But to take full advantage of the opportunities of ICT, we need to develop the skills of our workforce at every level, from front-line staff to senior management. Investing in management and business capability is a priority.

For New Zealand to remain competitive, we must anticipate and embrace technological change. The Digital Strategy provides us with a clear view of the future we want to create, and a plan for how we will get there. It puts in place a structure against which to evaluate our progress and will ensure we meet our longer-term goals.

The draft Digital Strategy was released in June 2004 for public feedback and discussion. The feedback we received told us we are heading in the right direction.  People agreed with us on the importance of the enablers content, connection, and confidence, and on the need to develop all three at the same rate. Rather than debating the merits of our initiatives, people asked when and how they would happen.

Overwhelmingly, they said: ‘Now let’s get on with it!’

This final Strategy takes account of the feedback we received but focuses on implementation, providing detail on what the government and other stakeholders will actually do, and by when.

<< Previous   Next >>