13 March 2008

The upgraded newzealand.govt.nz website (formerly www.govt.nz) was today launched by Minister of State Services, David Parker, in Wellington.

newzealand.govt.nz has been providing a gateway to central, regional and local government information, services and resources for five years. It has now been remodelled making it:

* easier to search

* more up to date, and

* easier to access and use.

A significant amount of work has gone on behind the scenes to improve the search facility on the site. It now exclusively searches all government and government funded websites, the Public Sector Directory and MSN live search results. This means that users can, in one search, access the most up-to-date information about an issue, resource or service from all government websites.

For those who prefer to search by topic rather than key word, the browse categories have also been rewritten making it easier to find all the information you need for each stage of your life. This includes popular government services and resources available to help those expecting a baby, thinking of migrating to New Zealand or joining the workforce.

newzealand.govt.nz will continue to display regularly updated news headlines and articles.

"A lot of time and effort has gone into making this website as user friendly as possible," says State Services Deputy Commissioner (ICT) Laurence Millar. "State sector agencies have worked together to improve their interface with customers and I believe everyone will benefit from the result."

A big change has been the addition of information about how you can participate in government decisions. The website now contains details of how to enrol to vote, public consultations that are taking place, as well as how you can stand for election.

For users of public services, as well as their advocates and assistants, this upgrade will help make it easier to navigate the many resources and services available from government.

"We now have, at one central point, a more useful and comprehensive resource for anyone looking online for New Zealand government related news, images, data, reports, information and services," says Laurence Millar.

To view the site, go to:

ENDS

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