Executive Summary

The E-government Unit (EGU) of the State Services Commission (SSC) co-ordinates the activities of separate agencies, monitor their progress and maintain the overall vision, as well as to take the lead on some projects. E-government means using digital technology to enable citizens, taxpayers and visitors to access information and services from the New Zealand Government.

As part of the process of considering the use of such technology, the SSC has commissioned the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) in conjunction with Lazar Associates, to examine the potential for e-billing and e-payments within the government.

In particular, the brief was to report on five key issues associated with e-billing and e-payments:

• The scope of demand, both current and future, for this service within the state sector.

• The drivers of demand for transacting online, from the perspective of the government and its customers.

• The timeframe within which a system could be implemented.

• The products available in the market for completing transactions online.

• Any legal issues regarding development, implementation or operation of an e-billing and e-payment system.

This report includes consideration on all these questions. Tables display the potential transaction volumes and the type of agency involved. A list of demand drivers is discussed and a careful survey of the products in the market included.

A lengthy section considers the legal aspects of e-billing and e-payment but suggests that with care these can be accommodated.

Finally a discussion of the potential to select a technology now is included. It develops some salient circumstances and on the basis of these factors, particularly the importance attached to a decision being taken on the basis of an operating site providing services in the New Zealand context, suggest that the time is not right.

The view is that the benefits from taking a decision today are not outweighed by the risks. It suggests that there are insufficient available options now.

So the conclusion is that there be a delay of, say 12 months when the issue could be carefully re-appraised in the light of the inevitable technological and commercial changes over that time.