Conclusion

The shift to the networked world, and the growth of knowledge societies that information technologies are enabling, will come to be seen as having been as significant for our time as the agricultural and industrial revolutions were in the past. The related and rapidly emerging concept of electronic government presents an exciting set of opportunities for New Zealand. It gives us the opportunity to move forward into the 21st century as a member of the front rank of nations. It is not unrealistic to see in this a paradigm shift for government as an institution. We believe that, if approached carefully and strategically, it can be part of identifying and driving fundamental changes that could truly improve New Zealanders' experience of government, and contribute to improving their general wellbeing.

The State Services Commission and key chief executives were due to report to the previous Government, in February 2000, on how the e-government vision could be achieved. We look forward to engaging with you on this issue, and learning how you would like to proceed.

Recommendation

This briefing is provided for your information. We recommend that you forward a copy to your colleague, the Minister of Information Technology. A copy is enclosed for that purpose.

Ross Tanner

Deputy State Services Commissioner

(on behalf of the Chief Executives' Group on Information Management and Technology)