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Sets out the main characteristics of a Digital Nation and outlines the key areas and projects New Zealand is focusing on to become a leading Digital Nation. The policy statement was incorporated into New Zealand’s wider Economic Plan for a Productive, Sustainable and Inclusive Economy, published in September 2019.
citizens, businesses, government
The policy presents a range of initiatives to enable New Zealand to become a leading Digital Nation with a thriving digital sector, where businesses, people and government are all using digital technology to drive innovation, improve productivity and enhance the quality of life for all New Zealanders. These initiatives are organised into the following four action plans, each of which includes a number of projects.
1) A thriving Digital Sector
Promoting New Zealand’s digital Technology sector nationally and internationally:
- Support the establishment of a nation-wide Techweek event
- Launch The Investor’s Guide to the New Zealand Technology Sector
- Develop digital sector material as part of the New Zealand Story
- Accelerate the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) Technology in New Zealand through market research and the establishment of an IoT Alliance
- Accelerate the safe adoption of Artificial Intelligence Technology
- Develop a Digital Nation Domain Plan
- Investigate the possibility of promoting New Zealand internationally as a test bed for emerging Technology
- Support the internationalisation of the Maori technology sector through Te Tira Toi Whakangao
Building New Zealand’s digital skills workforce:
- Re-launch the Digital Technology Skills Forum
- Map future skills needs of the digital technology sector
- Promote cyber security education and training, including building a cyber security professional workforce
- Identify and encourage industry and government adoption of a common ICT skills and competency framework
- Set up new ICT Grad Schools to add to the number of ICT graduates
Using immigration to bring digital skills into New Zealand:
- Explore the use of a skills based approach for the Long Term Skill Shortage List and the Skilled Migrant Category for ICT occupations
- Make it easier for businesses to become Accredited Employers
Balancing security, privacy, and innovation:
- Support the Security Technology Returning Accountability, Trust and User-centric Services in the Cloud (STRATUS) project
Ensuring New Zealand’s regulatory framework is fit for purpose:
- Conduct the scheduled review of the Telecommunications Act
- Create a regulatory environment to support the Financial Technology (fintech) sector
- Consider the impact of convergence of telecommunications information technology, media content, and entertainment sectors
Additional government initiatives supporting a thriving Digital Sector:
- Use the New Zealand Investment Attraction Strategy to encourage more multinational companies to conduct Research and Development (R&D) in New Zealand
- Drive digital sector R&D through Callaghan Innovation grants
- Support digital sector research through MBIE’s Endeavour Fund
- Build expertise and international connections through the Square Kilometre Array
- Support start-ups and the commercialisation of cutting edge research through Incubators and Accelerators
- Support hi-tech summer internships through R&D Experience Grants
- Develop and trial with the private sector the Global Impact Visa to attract talented young international entrepreneurs
2) Technology-enabled Digital Businesses
Encouraging better use of digital Technology by small businesses to improve productivity across the economy:
- Engage SMEs about the opportunities of digital Technology (starting with three pilot sectors – arable farming, tourism businesses, traders in the construction sector)
- Assess the digital maturity of SMEs
- Build SME’s confidence and capability to go digital
- Promote uptake of digital Technology through the small business roadshows and broadband completion events
Developing the digital skills of New Zealand businesses:
- Provide access to the UK Digital Business Academy
- Build capability though the Digital Service programme, which supports businesses to build their digital capability and establish effective use of digital Technology to support international sales and profitability
Supporting greater connectivity for New Zealand Businesses
- Increase the rollout of New Zealand’s fibre to-the-premises UFB programme to at least 84 per cent of the New Zealand population
- Roll-out Stage 2 of the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) and the Mobile Black Spots Fund
Balancing security, privacy, and innovation
- Support individuals and businesses to protect themselves online through Connect Smart, a cyber security awareness and capability raising campaign which aims to build knowledge and skills across all parts of the economy, from individuals to enterprises
- Set up a national Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT)
- Develop Cyber Credentials Scheme
Ensuring New Zealand’s regulatory framework is fit for purpose
- Collect Goods and Services Tax (GST) on remote services and intangibles
- Conduct study to understand the role of copyright and registered designs in the creative sector
Additional government initiatives supporting technology-enabled Digital Businesses
- Encourage businesses to operate digitally through the New Zealand Business Number
- Strengthen the uptake of Precision Agriculture in New Zealand
- Support New Zealand companies to enter China through agreement with Alibaba
- Establish new privately-led regional research institutes
- Invest in Entrepreneurial Universities
- Make it easier for SMEs to create their privacy statement through Priv-o-matic
3) Connected and confident Digital New Zealanders
Supporting under-represented groups into the digital Technology sector
- Scope the opportunity to encourage women
into the digital technology sector through a return to work scheme
- Create high-value jobs and opportunities that advance Maori in digital Technology through the Maori Digital Technology Development Fund (Ka Hao)
- Support for expansion of Shadow Tech Days, which connect young women who are studying technology
subjects at school with women working in the tech sector, as well as women studying technology at a tertiary level, as mentors
Understanding and improving the digital capabilities of New Zealanders
- Initiate research to understand the impacts of digital inclusion on the social and economic outcomes of New Zealanders
- Support the mapping of existing initiatives to build digital capability
- Integrate Digital Technology into the New Zealand curriculum
- Investigate how to support adults to learn new Technology
Supporting greater connectivity for New Zealand communities
- Support social engagement of Deaf and hearing impaired people through a new Video Interpreting Service
Balancing security, privacy, and innovation
- Make it easier for people to get things done online through RealMe, a voluntary, consent-based identity and login service that enables services to be offered securely online
- Launch Tahi, an identity and access ecosystem for educators and students
- Explore Social Licence through public engagement
about the ways in which data can be used and shared
Ensuring New Zealand’s regulatory framework is fit for purpose
- Streamline consenting rules to speed up UFB installations
Additional government initiatives for developing connected and confident Digital New Zealanders
- Launch a $1 million fund for education and digital technology projects
- Enhance access to learning through the use of Assistive Technology
- Investigate opportunities to leverage schools’ broadband connections to support the wider community
- Deter online bullying, harassment and other harmful communications through the Harmful Digital Communications Act
- Provide people with access to privacy advice through AskUs
- Make it easy for people to request their personal information through AboutMe
- Support Pacific people to study STEM through Toloa Scholarships
- Review regulatory settings to encourage innovation in school education
- Grow the numbers of enrolments and graduates for in demand disciplines like Engineering, ICT and applied sciences
4) A Digital Government
Supporting the digitisation of the public sector
- Enable the public sector to exploit ICT-enabled opportunities through the ICT strategy
- Deliver the Better Public Services Result 9 “Better for Business” programme to make business-to government dealings easier and seamless
- Deliver the Better Public Services Result 10 programme so New Zealanders can make their government transactions digitally
- Support schools’ use of digital Technology through N4L Managed Network and Pond
- Implement Digital Health 2020, which includes a set of actions including improved access and use of electronic health records and data including through mobile and emerging Technology to support care delivery, research and innovation; the use of ‘smart systems’ to improve data sharing and strengthen national analytical capability; technology to support preventative health screening programmes; and increased hospital digital maturity
- Leverage international relationships through a United Kingdom and New Zealand digital data and technology exchange
Encourage innovative public sector ICT procurement models
- Partner with industry to solve complex
government problems through the R9 Accelerator, which brings together teams of entrepreneurs, ICT developers, private sector specialists and government experts to work on projects that solve major pain points for New Zealand businesses and reduce their costs of dealing with government
- Support annual GovHack events, where developers are able to use selected government data in new and interesting ways to tackle problems and create valuable solutions
- Establish an ICT Marketplace for government agencies
Developing the digital skills of government
- Identify the digital capability needs, future skills and capability growth areas for government
- Establish the GovTech Graduate Talent Programme, which aims to accelerate Government’s digital leadership capability by establishing a sustainable pool of information, technology and digital talent
- Collaborate with nations in the Digital 5 (D5), which provides a forum to share best practice, identify how to improve the participants’ digital services, collaborate on common projects and to support and champion their growing digital economies
Balancing security, privacy, and innovation
- Protect New Zealand’s most important information
infrastructures and boost the cyber security capability of the public sector
- Use data to improve the lives of vulnerable New Zealanders through a social investment approach
- Enable safe and secure information sharing between agencies and NGOs to support better decision making through a new Data Exchange
- Conduct a Data Futures Programme to encourage the use of data for analytics and innovation in the public and private sectors
Ensuring New Zealand’s regulatory framework is fit for purpose
- Review transport regulation to encourage the use of new Technology
- Enable better digital interactions between individuals, businesses and government through the Electronic Interactions Reform Bill
Additional government initiatives for accelerating a Digital Government
- Support teacher-led innovation through an $18 million fund
- IRD Business Transformation Programme
- MSD Simplification Project
- Support an open and transparent government through the Open Government Information and Data Programme
- Bring together government information through govt.nz
- Support new parents with Smart Start
- Transform the ACC customer experience with Shaping Our Future
- Advanced Survey and Title Services
- Transform the system of service delivery across government
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