The 2005 Digital Strategy identified three enablers – connection, confidence and content , and three agents of change – communities, businesses and government, for responding to the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly-changing digital environment. Government agencies, working closely with community organisations and businesses, have made significant progress in achieving the digital strategy targets through more than 70 initiatives.
Some of this progress is described below. For a more detailed account, you can download the Digital Strategy Report on Progress 2007.
Regulatory reforms in the telecommunications sector
The revolutionary telecommunications regulatory reforms of 2005/06, especially the introduction of the Telecommunications Amendment Act 2006, are stimulating new investment and competition in the marketplace. These changes now equip New Zealand for the new digital age – where the smart
use of technology will determine our continued prosperity as a nation.
The Telecommunications Amendment Act 2006 marked the beginning of a new era by:
- promoting competition and equal access to key wholesale services
- providing a process to settle a robust three-way operational separation of Telecom (network, wholesale and retail)
- bringing New Zealand into line with international best practice by unbundling the local telephone loop and ensuring access to ‘naked DSL’
- empowering the Telecommunications Commissioner to effectively monitor industry development elements and regulatory compliance.
These changes are already having a marked impact on our digital future. In two years, New Zealand has already climbed three places to 20th out of 30 in the OECD for broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants – by June 2007 we had 16.5 subscribers per 100 population, compared to the OECD average of 18.8. Broadband uptake has also grown by 137 per cent in two years, putting us in the OECD top ten for rate of growth in broadband uptake.
Local loop unbundling is stimulating new investment and competition as operators seek to attract customers before installing equipment in Telecom’s exchanges. Telecom’s operational separation will improve competition in services by providing non-discriminatory access to its network assets. That will ensure that all telcos can compete on the same terms. Telecom is committed to rolling out fibre to all towns with more than 500 lines – covering 80 per cent of the population. This unprecedented level of investment will dramatically improve the broadband performance available to New Zealanders.
The government is also currently looking at incentives for telcos to invest in rural regions where broadband is not commercially viable at present. The Telecommunications Service Obligations (TSO) Review will improve service in rural areas. It is part of an ongoing process with the telecommunications industry to improve investment incentives.
Shared public sector networks
The Government Shared Network (GSN) has been established to provide a platform for high-speed, network-based collaboration between public sector agencies. The shared network will improve the quality of information and services offered to the New Zealand public.
The Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network (KAREN), a $43 million government investment, went live in 2006 and now connects all New Zealand tertiary institutions and research organisations, as well as the National Library, with the rest of the world. KAREN provides ultra-high-speed networking capabilities (up to 10,000 times the speed of a standard broadband connection) and supports access to advanced computing infrastructure for New Zealand educators, researchers and innovators.
Partnerships with businesses and communities
The Broadband Challenge Fund made $24 million available over four years to stimulate investment in open-access fibre networks through public-private partnerships. For example, Vector Communications Ltd, in partnership with the North Shore City Council, received $4.6 million to build a 38km extension to the existing fibre network. Called the North Shore Urban Fibre Network, this serves the North Shore Education and Access Loop (NEAL), which currently delivers high-speed connections of up to 1Gbps to 42 schools, six libraries, and 21 council buildings and community centres.
The Community Partnership Fund also made $17.4 million available over four years to help community organisations realise their digital aspirations, including projects to improve the ICT skills of community members. The fund has supported over 114 digital initiatives to enhance the confidence and capability of New Zealand communities.
MOTATAU MARAE TRUSTEES – CYBER WHARE //////
Hei korowai mö ngä iwi puta noa i te ao – building people’s capability to enable a connection to the world.
Located in Northland, the isolated community of Motatau faced many challenges in accessing reliable computers and high-speed internet. Feedback gathered by the Motatau Marae Trustees revealed a strong desire to establish a community house with ICT capability. The Trustees have since received funding from the Community Partnership Fund to create a ‘Cyber Whare’.
Based on the concept of a cybercafé, the Cyber Whare provides tuition to local people to help them become ICT trainers and facilitators themselves. It aims to produce a community-driven environment that will encourage the community to use ICT as a tool for gathering information, gaining new skills and taking Motatau’s knowledge to the world.
The Cyber Whare has a major focus on online learning and improving skills in the community with the aim of developing and promoting local enterprises. Motatau’s Whare is one of a network of Cyber Whare throughout Northland. Four of them work together, sharing their experience and resources, and supporting each other in delivering quality ICT services and training to their communities. Access to this team helps to provide IT development, technical support, maintenance and training resources.
The Cyber Whare will go a long way towards overcoming the digital divide in the small community of Motatau. |
Education enablers
Several of the pilot education programmes established under the 2005 Digital Strategy have been completed, including Digital Bridges, the Community Technicians Programme and Digital Imaging for Special Education. The pilots will be evaluated in 2008, and the successful ones could be scaled up.
Other education programmes, such as the KiwiCareers Pathfinder, a free career guidance programme offered online, and the Laptops for Principals and Teachers Programme are continuing successfully.
Online securityIn 2005, the Internet Safety Group carried out a National Computer Security Education Campaign, and in 2007, the government passed the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007, New Zealand’s anti-spam legislation.
New Zealand digital content
New Zealand’s Digital Content Strategy was launched in 2007. It focuses on the value of creating, discovering and using New Zealand-born digital content. The government is putting just under $23 million into new actions for the content strategy.
Te Ara – The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand has continued to evolve as a comprehensive online guide to New Zealand, greatly increasing its interactive elements in 2007.
NZLive.com, the digital gateway to the arts, culture and heritage sector, was launched in 2006 and continues to add new features.
Government agencies have built the foundations for egovernment through the
e-Government Strategy, which aims to deliver integrated, accessible and customised government information and services to citizens by 2010.
In broadcasting, some significant initiatives have taken advantage of the converging broadcasting and telecommunications environment. These include:
- the launch of TVNZ ondemand
- live streaming and podcasts from Radio New Zealand’s website
- free-to-air digital television via the Freeview platform
- the launch of the Mäori Television Service, with a second service to come on Freeview
- the launch of new digital channels, such as TVNZ6, TVNZ7, Triangle Stratos and Parliament TV
- CPF-funded streaming services for access radio stations
- digitisation of nationally significant iwi radio recordings, also with CPF funding
- the Broadcasting Amendment Bill 2007, enabling NZ On Air and Te Mängai Päho to support the production, transmission and archiving of digital content.
The government has introduced amendments to the Copyright Act 1994 so that it remains relevant and effective in a digital environment. Work continues on issues related to the needs and aspirations of Mäori in relation to mätauranga Mäori and the intellectual property system. The government is also encouraging the release of publicly funded research information to benefit the commercial sector and wider New Zealand population.
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KETE HOROWHENUA //////
The Community Partnership Fund, Horowhenua District Council, and technology partners SeniorNet Horowhenua and Katipo have been strategic partners in the Kete Horowhenua project in the Levin community.
This project compiled an online digital library of Horowhenua resources including digitised photographs, museum objects, arts and crafts objects, audio and video recordings, public speeches and performances of all kinds. This involved the integration of two New Zealand developed open source systems into a new open source digital library management system – Kete Horowhenua.
Tutors and volunteers were trained in making digital images of their collections using loan equipment provided under the project. They were also trained to record them in the digital library under the guidance of the Horowhenua Library Trust. The community has responded enthusiastically and provided a huge array of resources.
The Kete Horowhenua is a good example of a project seeded by the CPF, where central government, local government, businesses and communities have worked together to improve access to locally relevant content and to develop digital literacy while creating an innovative open source platform. A toolkit was created to also allow other communities to use it for creating their own community library of rich local resources. |
Significant progress made – but there are new challenges ahead
Significant progress has been made in the past three years. The total investment has been considerable. Since 2005, the government has committed about $400 million to digital strategy initiatives (including baseline funding).
Although we have achieved most of our targets, there is plenty more to be done. We are still below the OECD average in broadband uptake. The feedback from the Digital Future Summit 2.0 in November 2007 was that digital skill shortages could stand in the way of achieving our digital potential. There are a myriad of opportunities to be explored, particularly in the areas of digital content and technology based productivity growth.