SSC provides open source Content Management System to government agencies

The State Services Commission has made available to government agencies, both central and local, the open source code for a Government Web Guidelines compliant Content Management System.

The code base, used for the recent redevelopment of www.e.govt.nz, has been shared with the Ministry of Women's Affairs for the redevelopment of their website, www.mwa.govt.nz, launched today.

The Deputy Commissioner for Information and Communications Technology at SSC, Laurence Millar, said, "The Content Management System, Plone, is a particularly powerful tool for managing websites. Modifying it to make it Web Guidelines compliant means that other government agencies can use this code to build and manage their websites knowing that they are using best practice accessibility standards."

The growth of content on New Zealand government websites, and the policies around the maintenance of this content, means that content management is an increasingly important issue for government agencies.

"The availability and accessibility of government information and services over the Internet is integral to the achievement of the E-government Strategy goal of transforming government by June 2010. Content Management Systems have an important role to play in making this happen," Mr Millar said.

Plone was developed in 1999 and has since expanded to include 90 developers working on the core software and some 250 various add-on Plone products.

"We were looking for an open source solution that had the requisite functionality, an established track record and a 'critical mass' of developer support. Plone met all those criteria. Other government agencies can now build on our experience and resources, to ensure they get a Content Management System that meets their business requirements, is Web Guidelines compliant and is a very cost effective solution," Mr Millar said.

ENDS

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