Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

Context

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) is a policy agency, a regulator and an operational delivery agency with a focus on economic, environmental and social benefits for New Zealand. MAF has wide-ranging knowledge and experience of agriculture, horticulture, food, forestry, and of the people, institutions and processes employed in and around those sectors.

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry E-government Initiatives

• Internal systems standardisation
• Website content, look and feel
• Documentum initiative for tracking of exported products
• Data sharing between NZCS CusMod and MAF QuanCargo programs

Summary

Ready Access: MAF provides ready access to information and services through its websites and the government portal. Improving website usability and making more online documents available through the portal will make it easier for people to access MAF information.

Alignment: MAF is standardising the use of information technology across the agency to minimise duplication, remove operational silos, improve access to information, and streamline services it provides. Changes to website content and the implementation of Internet standards will improve access to information and assist information and service integration.

Internet and Communications Technology

MAF's use of the Internet is varied because business units are in different sectors, with different objectives and audiences, and therefore operate relatively independently from each other. The consequent system duplication and segmentation mean that agency-wide information access and coordinated service delivery are difficult to achieve.

A review is underway to improve information management. The review will include creating system standards, refining system architecture, and clarifying terminology and processes. This will also help to consolidate approximately 200 different software applications used by different business units.

The MAF website is likely to be redesigned as a result of the review, and will include tailored information for individuals, businesses, importers/exporters, and MAF staff.

In some areas of MAF's operations, especially where there has been commercial demand, MAF is well advanced in the use of the Internet to provide information and deliver online services. The
user-pays E-cert system, operated by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority, provides online transactional services direct to industry. The data sharing initiative between New Zealand Customs Service's (Customs) CusMod system and MAF's QuanCargo program is another example.

MAF is aware that its current IT systems do not adequately support the agency to achieve its wider goals and objectives. Internal systems need to facilitate information sharing with a range of other government agencies, community groups and industry. Systems also need to be able to
co-ordinate operations with international stakeholders.

MAF intends to introduce a document management system and an Internet based contact management system to improve agency-wide access to information and contact details.

Ready Access to Information and Services

Metadata

MAF has 77 metadata records. These include 25 services, 47 documents and 5 agency records. MAF's records are current and up-to-date. Overall, records are clear and well written.

In future, MAF could address gaps by providing additional metadata, and bringing several offline documents online. Some records could be re-worded to make them more understandable to a general audience. For example, where possible, to avoid or clarify scientific terms such as 'phytosanitary'.

Website Assessment

Websites assessed during May 2004 included:

www.maf.govt.nz and www.nsfsa.govt.nz

Overall, MAF's websites are of a high standard. The strengths of the sites are in depth of information, e-services delivery and required government content.

The usability of the sites could be improved to make information easier to find.

Key quality issues noted during the assessment included:

• Good range and depth of information and services content.
• Usability and site navigation could be improved for easier use.
• Some required email addresses are not available or were not answered.
• Missing accessibility features, such as navigation skipping, access keys and style sheet problems may impede some physically impaired people's access.
• Some broken links prevent people from accessing certain content.
• Some documents are in PDF only, excluding people who are unable or unwilling to read these formats.
• More links to other related content would be useful.

Alignment With E-government Goals

Convenience and Satisfaction

At present, ease in accessing MAF information and service delivery using the Internet depends on what information is needed, which business unit provides the information, and the prior knowledge of the person seeking the information. While recognising that specific audiences will need technical information, MAF aims to make the website information easier to understand and access. Formal web content standards, and 'look and feel' standards will help.

The MAF website is one of the primary channels for staff to manage and access information within the agency. 24-hour access to the Internet is fundamental for MAF, especially for front-line staff.

Integration and Efficiency

Common drivers for the inter-agency initiatives using the Internet are government legislation, international standards and business demand.

The Internet is becoming integral for MAF to comply with evolving international standards. Efficient information sharing between agencies is essential for achieving these standards, such as the requirement to increase import and export container inspections, which is crucial for New Zealand's trade.

Intellectual property rights have limited information gathering and sharing with other agencies, especially with regard to geospatial information sourced from 3rd parties.

There are numerous opportunities for more integrated information sharing with other agencies. Some initiatives MAF is considering are transformational. One proposed initiative, which is an extension of E-Cert, would transform the way that imported and export products are tracked worldwide. The initiative is intended to support Internet based data certification worldwide, and would include a facility to allow businesses to provide data once that simultaneously populates databases held by Customs and MAF.

Participation

The Internet helps people participate in government by providing contact information, current consultation details, and downloadable forms.

Improving opportunities for participation in government are being included in the website content, look and feel standards that are being developed.