Government signals Chief Technology Officer a priority
Government signals Chief Technology Officer a
priority appointment
The Government has outlined
its priorities across digital technology, media and open
government signalling that the establishment of a Chief
Technology Officer is at the top of the list.
Delivering the keynote speech at NetHui 2017, the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media and Government Digital Services and the Associate Minister of State Services (Open Government), Clare Curran, said that the Chief Technology Officer would be responsible for preparing and overseeing a national digital architecture, or roadmap, for the next five to ten years.
Ms Curran also said that the Government would begin work on a blueprint for digital inclusion to address the emerging digital divide, establish RNZ+ as the centrepiece of a full non-commercial public media service for all New Zealanders, institute a process for the proactive release of government information and create a framework for strengthening citizens’ rights in the digital environment.
“This Government will be modern, future-focused and innovative. We will also work collaboratively with industry, non-government organisations and communities.”
Further, Ms Curran said she would convene reference groups in her key portfolio areas and task them with pulling together leading thinkers and actors in each area, from inside government and across industry, local government, Māoridom, non-government organisations and community groups to ensure that the best thinking is applied to realising Government policy.
“This Government
intends to progress its goals to close the digital divide by
2020, and to make ICT the second largest contributor to GDP
by 2025.”
“New Zealanders rightly expect that their
government
should behave in a predictable, open and
transparent way and ensure that nobody is left behind. The
internet and digital tools are fundamental to us achieving
these goals,” Ms Curran said.
Read the Minister’s NetHui speech
here.