The New Zealand Government has announced a major shift in how the public sector will undertake digital investment and procurement, which could see a saving of up to NZ$3.9 billion over the next five years.
Minister for Digitising Government and the Public Service, Judith Collins, revealed yesterday that the Government Chief Digital Officer (GCDO) will now lead digital investment and procurement decision-making on behalf of most public service agencies and Crown entities.
This centralised approach, she said, could save up to 30 percent on the projected $13 billion technology spend across the public sector, which could instead be spent on delivering better public services.
“Siloed, bespoke technology solutions will be a thing of the past. Our target is a citizen-focused, digital-first public service like we see in other leading digital nations,” said Collins.
“Countries such as Estonia achieve significant, ongoing savings and productivity benefits thanks to their efficient digitised public services; our changes will set New Zealand up to emulate those successes.”
Under the new plan, the GCDO will develop and deliver a range of key digital tools on behalf of agencies, including the NZ Government App, which will allow New Zealanders to receive secure notifications from government agencies, store their digital identity documents and, in future, even make payments for government services from their phones.
“We want to see our public sector offering better, faster digital services for New Zealanders – but I would also note that services will continue to be available through traditional means,” added Collins.
“These decisions are another step towards New Zealanders having safer, more secure digital services from the Government.”
