Information Technology (IT) is now as essential to our economy and our society as electricity; software is in everything from our homes to our workplaces, and the vehicles we travel in between them. Ensuring that we recognise this, and are actively working to create and capitalise on the opportunities it presents, is critical to our success in the coming decades.
Three principles will accelerate the contribution of the local digital sector to New Zealand’s economic and social well-being and will support the longer-term development of the industry as a critical part of our country’s future. These three principles are Open, Sovereign and Resilient.
The three principles
1. Open
By maintaining an open approach in our digital strategy we can expect the following:
Champion transparency
Government data should, by default, be open. Agency data and algorithms should be open to scrutiny to build trust in our democracy. Publicly funded data should be open for re-use and commercialisation to foster innovation.
Interoperate globally
Ensure that New Zealand’s public and private sector systems are built on open standards, facilitating the ability to interoperate and integrate with other local and international systems, to deliver benefits for New Zealanders. Build on success stories like Koha, the Library Management system built in Horowhenua and used in tens of thousands of public libraries around the world.
Leverage excellence
Adopt “best of breed” open source solutions and adapt them for local needs and cultural appropriateness, to fuel innovation and opportunities for businesses and communities. Like some of the largest businesses in the world, Google, Amazon and Facebook, the Catalyst Cloud was built on open source–and was the first fully automated cloud in New Zealand, years ahead of its competitors.
Minimise waste
Make open source the default for public sector systems, to encourage re-use and sharing, to maximise the Crown’s investment in software, and minimise the reliance on licensing. Favour smaller, more agile public sector IT projects that use Kiwi companies for continuous delivery, not monolithic proprietary systems that deliver cost blow-outs and a fraction of the promised value.
2. Sovereign
Sovereignty is becoming more prevalent and crucial than ever, and if we don’t respect it and align with strong respectful boundaries we are risking our residents' data – which is taonga. Below are some points of how sovereignty can affect New Zealand:
Māori rights
Recognise and protect digital information or knowledge that is about or from Māori people, language, culture, resources or environments. Ensure that tangata whenua are in control of their taonga and are supported to enhance their economic opportunities. Embed Māori values into the culture of the public sector.
Self determination
Ensure that New Zealander's retain control of their data, and their destinies in a world mediated by technology, and increasingly controlled by software. Showcase the innovation happening here, like the project using Artificial Intelligence to monitor the presence of te reo Māori on terrestrial radio, and grow the digital sector’s exports to the rest of the world.
Privacy first
Enshrine the right to digital privacy, and protections for it, in New Zealand law, much like the GDPR. Privacy is a non-renewable resource, and one that is significantly undervalued. Ensure that policy decisions honour Kiwis rights to privacy.
Non-exploitative
Encourage a fair market where New Zealand digital services companies are able to compete and operate in a principled fashion: pay their taxes, respect our laws, and not treat our citizens and their data as a resource to be extracted and sold to the highest bidder.
Can we risk a digital strategy that doesn’t prioritise sovereignty? Your data is taonga and it needs to stay that way.
3. Resillience
High-value jobs
Invest in the local industry so that Kiwis for generations to come are able to continue to work and pursue highly paid and challenging careers in our sector. Acknowledge the multiplier effect where 30c in every dollar spent on local firms is returned to the Crown either directly or indirectly.
Knowledge economy
Focus on building a high-value economy, with weightless exports and multiple career paths for skilled workers. Reform government procurement to recognise value, not just price. Acknowledge the potential for IT to revolutionise our other critical sectors, like agriculture, tourism and health.
Self-sufficiency
Develop the capability and systems to ensure that New Zealand is not reliant on offshore providers and systems to deliver the critical infrastructure we require in the digital age. Ensure that in the event of a natural disaster, we are not reliant on connectivity to the rest of the Internet to deliver critical services to New Zealander's.
Cultural relevance
Ensure software and algorithms deployed in New Zealand encode and reflect our values and do not import more bias and prejudices into our society. Develop guardrails to manage the introduction of emerging technologies, like Artificial Intelligence and facial recognition software, so that they are a fit for our legislative and cultural environment.
So next time you consider opting for the monopolistic big names for an IT solution, remember there is a much bigger cost to consider.
Rebuilding and future-proofing New Zealand starts with keeping it local.
Download the full Digital Strategy paper in English. [PDF, 552 KB]
Download the full Digital Strategy paper in te reo Māori. [PDF, 580 KB]