Thomas Friedman, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, HarperCollins, London, 2000.
27.1. The Commission’s terms of reference invite it to consider what governance and funding responsibilities are required to “support and enhance … the performance of the Auckland region as a growth engine in the New Zealand economy”, including the ability of the region to “compete internationally as a desirable place to live, work, invest, and do business”.1
27.2. This chapter considers the importance of information communications technology (“ICT”) to the international competitiveness of Auckland.2 It considers New Zealand and Auckland’s progress in implementing broadband infrastructure.3 It examines the various roles local government is playing in developing ICT infrastructure delivered by high-speed broadband. Policy and governance issues are considered and recommendations made. The chapter then turns to a brief review of e-government.4 It examines government policy and Auckland Council’s progress towards making more online services available to the public. Finally, the chapter outlines the Commission’s recommendations for broadband and an e-government strategy.
27.3. In the past, network infrastructure such as roads, rail, electricity, postal services, and the telephone have become vital to modern economies. ICTs, particularly broadband, are considered to be this millennium’s critical network infrastructure. Governments are likening broadband to electricity and the telephone in its economic importance to future competitiveness. It is the major driver of the move from production-driven industry towards service and knowledge-based enterprises where skill, speed, and innovation are required to develop information-based services.
27.4. In New Zealand there are numerous studies assessing the long-term benefits of broadband and ICT.5 The Auckland Regional Broadband Advisory (“ARBA”)6 has estimated that if 60% of Auckland households and businesses used ultra high-speed broadband there could be up to a $1.7 billion gain in regional gross domestic product over the long term.7 The New Zealand Institute estimates high-speed broadband could produce annual economic benefits of $2.7 to $4.4 billion for New Zealand.8
27.5. For cities, ICT infrastructure, particularly broadband, is an important element in attracting businesses (particularly the multinationals), people, and investment, and improving access to global markets. As people gain access to high-speed broadband they are developing new and innovative services based on technology and knowledge.
27.6. In addition to its economic potential, ICT has a social dimension, shaping the design of “connected” cities and communities. High-speed broadband coupled with e-commerce, videoconferencing, and teleworking has further potential to reduce environmental impacts by reducing the need for air travel, roads, and public transportation infrastructure.9 It can help reduce the costs of running a business and improve people’s productivity. All sectors of the community are benefiting from ICT services delivered by broadband “anyplace, anywhere at anytime”.
27.7. The broadband industry in New Zealand has two components – the fixed or mobile network wholesale infrastructure on which data is transmitted, and the broadband retailers who access the infrastructure to provide the broadband internet packages to consumers. Telecom New Zealand is the dominant wholesale broadband infrastructure provider using copper wires and digital subscriber lines (“DSL”)10 technology to deliver broadband services to the home and businesses. Copper wire technology is used in 69% of all broadband connections.11 Seventeen percent of users access a wireless broadband service to connect remotely to the internet.12 Wireless offers portability in metropolitan areas and a low-cost alternative to reach rural areas. Cellular networks also provide wireless broadband internet access via a cellphone or a computer. Eighteen percent of the total users in the country have fibre optic or coaxial cable direct to the home or business, which provides the highest quality and fastest data transmission.13 Fibre optic to the home or business premises is considered to provide the highest quality broadband. Telecom and Vodafone are the two dominant wholesale cellular providers. Broadband retailers include TelstraClear, Slingshot, Woosh, Orcon, Telecom, and Vodafone among others.
27.8. High-speed broadband has three related factors: the transmission speed of the connections, the quality of the access device, and the information services and content being accessed over the connections.
27.9. New Zealand has been slow to invest in high-speed broadband. New Zealand and Auckland lag behind other countries and cities that are more advanced in rolling out broadband networks that are capable of transmission speeds that will keep up with a dynamic and ever-changing technology.14 Figure 27.1 illustrates New Zealand’s position relative to other developed countries including Australia. The OECD data show New Zealand has
27.10. Until recently New Zealand has lacked competition in broadband infrastructure provisioning, with Telecom New Zealand dominating in the key telecommunications service and infrastructure areas (including ownership of the copper wire link between the exchange and the home or business premises). As a result of recent reforms, including the introduction of the unbundling of Telecom’s wholesale services giving “open access”16 to local loop circuits and bitstream services, competition is improving.
27.11. However, there has been relatively slow development in advanced broadband services, and there are a relatively small number of service providers and high comparative prices for internet access in New Zealand. This is of concern to the New Zealand Government, which intends to invest up to $1.5 billion in an ultra-fast broadband network with a “fibre-to-the-home” aspiration connecting 75% of New Zealanders as an important part of its economic strategy.17
27.12. Notwithstanding the slow start for broadband, the internet is already playing a large role in New Zealand. Over one million New Zealand homes now have access to it. Public libraries provide public access to it. More than 69% of New Zealanders use it or have access to the internet via a mobile phone.18 The widespread use of mobile technologies is driving the convergence of previously separate information communication technologies. For example, voice, data, and video are now shared on devices such as mobile handsets, personal digital assistants, and televisions.
27.13. The OECD has found that the value of broadband is particularly significant in the large service sectors such as financial services, business services, and transportation, which comprise a large part of the Auckland economy.19 An improved service is therefore important to expanding this part of Auckland’s economy. According to Statistics New Zealand, 43% of households in the Auckland region subscribe to broadband services, which is a low level compared with leading international cities.20 Access to broadband is limited over a significant area of the Auckland region, particularly the rural area, largely because of the distance of homes and premises from Telecom’s broadband exchanges.
27.14. As broadband services develop they are creating new ways for people to do business and are opening up new markets for products and services. For example, services such as Skype telephone and videoconferencing services,21 digital film production such as that carried out by Weta Workshops in Wellington, internet banking, on-demand television and video content all rely on high-speed, high-quality broadband. Auckland’s lack of high-speed, high-quality broadband is constraining Auckland from participating fully in the new “digital” economy.
27.15. Telecom plans to spend $1.4 billion nationally to roll out upgraded broadband infrastructure over its copper wire lines to homes and businesses over the next four years. It has been noted that in total the private sector has signalled new investment of $3 billion in broadband and mobile networks by 2012.22 The Ministry of Economic Development notes that while this new investment will create a better platform for competition, “some form of supplementary action to leverage faster and greater private sector investment in ultra-fast broadband is needed if New Zealand is to continue to close the gap with other OECD countries”.23
27.16. There are two underlying concerns with current broadband investment. The first is that it is insufficient to achieve the Government target of servicing 75% of New Zealand homes and premises. The New Zealand Institute estimates this broadband target requires an investment of between $4 to $5 billion.24 The second concern is that Telecom’s technology is designed to deliver a maximum 20 Mb/s broadband by 2011. Given that comparatively, international broadband speeds are getting faster and faster, the 20 Mb/s target is not sufficient to place New Zealand in the top half of OECD broadband service by 2012. Top-performing OECD broadband services are delivering speeds of around 50 Mb/s today. It can be expected that those speeds will soon increase by up to 1 Gb/s as the top half of the OECD improves its infrastructure to meet demand.25
27.17. There are a number of structural challenges for New Zealand in its broadband roll-out. First, as countries increase the pace of investment in broadband, the bar continues to be raised for New Zealand in terms of population reach and standards of transmission speed. Today’s targets will be redundant tomorrow. Secondly, Auckland’s sprawl and geographic features present permanent challenges to achieving a ubiquitous broadband network that allows access for the majority of households and businesses. Finally, unlike the United States, Asia, and Europe, there are no significant fixed-line cable operators offering competition with Telecom New Zealand for fixed-line services to the home.
27.18. Faced with similar structural challenges, an increasing number of cities and governments internationally are building and operating publicly owned broadband networks. Johannesburg is in the final stages of a tender for the provision of a municipal broadband network. Singapore, Korea, and Sweden are well advanced with plans to have open-access national fibre networks. Singapore is planning a minimum speed of 1 Gb/s and already has a high level of broadband uptake with over 76% of households able to access the internet at home and 99% of those households able to connect to broadband.26
27.19. In Australia, Government is funding broadband “aggregation brokers” to generate and promote demand for broadband services by communities. These brokers include local councils which are being extensively used to generate community demand (particularly institutional demand) for broadband services and negotiate deals with service providers in advocacy and facilitation roles.27
27.20. A number of New Zealand local authorities are well advanced in developing urban fibre networks as investors and owners. Wellington City Council has invested funds in broadband infrastructure. It is well ahead of Auckland in the planning and roll-out of broadband infrastructure. Wellington’s broadband infrastructure plan has been in place for over 12 years and has been credited with enabling the growth and success of its thriving digital film industry. Investment started in 1995 with the CityLink project which provided open access broadband to the Wellington central business district and Petone. Smartlinx 3 Limited was established in 2004 as a joint public and private initiative. Porirua, Hutt City and Upper Hutt City councils are shareholders. Wellington City has been active in advocating the deployment of the second trans-Tasman fibre cable to the city, as one of two projects critical to its regional economic development strategy.
27.21. Christchurch City Council has formed a special-purpose subsidiary, Christchurch City Networks Limited, to deploy an open access fibre network within the central business district. Hamilton City Council has a joint venture company with private investors and the company has an outsourcing arrangement for the operation of its open access fibre network.28
27.22. Research has found widespread user dissatisfaction with Auckland’s current broadband capacity – its speed (both download and upload capacity), availability, reliability, and inflexible charging regimes. Auckland households reported the following reasons for not having broadband access – unavailable in their local area (5%); high cost (58%); dial-up access was considered sufficient (30%); and concern about suppliers and service (16%).29
27.23. The Commerce Commission’s 2008 Broadband Performance Report rates New Zealand’s internet service providers’ performance across all New Zealand’s city centres.30 Broadband performance between New Zealand cities showed variability. Auckland’s performance is lagging behind Hamilton’s and only marginally outperforms the other three city centres as illustrated in Figure 27.2.
27.24. The role of local government in broadband infrastructure development varies with councils playing advocator, facilitator, and investor roles. In the past, Government funding has been provided to local government by way of a grant from a funding pool. Auckland local government has allocated $20 million in the various annual plans to broadband initiatives.31 This, however, is a small part of the estimated $1.1 billion investment Auckland needs to deliver an internationally competitive high-speed broadband service to households and businesses with ducted fibre to the home or to premises.32
27.25. The Auckland region’s councils have recognised the strategic importance of broadband to the region in the “One Plan”.33 The Auckland Regional Broadband Advisory, a group of local and central government officials, is advocating the use of a common approach across Auckland. However, progress in implementing a unified plan has been slow. ARBA’s recommendations are not binding on councils in the region, many of which have gone their own way in broadband infrastructure investment.
27.26. Steps taken by ARBA to date include research, promotion, and lobbying.34 ARBA research has found that there are grounds to regard broadband network provision in Auckland as a case of market failure justifying some degree of public sector involvement and investment.35
27.27. There are a number of private and public sector initiatives under way involving broadband infrastructure within the Auckland region.36 These have largely been undertaken as separate projects by individual councils supported by Government funding. North Shore City Council is particularly well advanced with its partnership with Vector Limited. Vector has an open access 500 km fibre optic network including a 50 km urban fibre network in partnership with the North Shore City Council. This network has been partially funded by central government and provides high-speed broadband services to council offices, 40 schools, public libraries, and community-owned facilities on the North Shore. The objective of the council is to provide a degree of revenue certainty to Vector to encourage it to invest further in high-speed broadband in its area.
27.28. ARBA has facilitated a collaborative approach with councils to develop a framework for the development of broadband infrastructure across the region. Confidentiality constraints have inhibited councils from sharing information for a number of each other’s projects. ARBA’s advocacy role is weak. Policy and funding fragmentation, the slow pace of converting regional plans into action, and the inability to quickly leverage joint council planning, tendering, and shared network approaches in the region represent a significant economic constraint for Auckland.
27.29. Manukau City has an optic fibre pilot in Flat Bush and will be requiring fibre-to-premises in new greenfield housing developments. The council is also considering laying a conduit in all new road works. Waitakere City Council has developed an online portal to encourage residents and businesses to establish websites. It is working to promote digital literacy and is advocating private sector investment in the district. The council is currently evaluating funding needs for inclusion in council plans. Within the ARBA planning framework, Auckland City Council is currently negotiating with a preferred partner to deliver a publicly accessible wireless network in the central business district. It is understood that this will be offered free of charge.
27.30. It is imperative, if Auckland is to progress to a state where broadband can be delivered as regionally critical infrastructure, to draw together all the various local government and central government initiatives into a regional framework, with a view to obtaining the best economies of scale and network technology outcomes.
27.31. Submitters to the Commission highlighted the importance of a world-class broadband network to facilitate private and public sector productivity and performance, and to promote citizen participation in global communities. An open access network infrastructure and fibre-to-premises were seen as the key components of improving Auckland’s connectivity competitiveness. It was argued that using public-private partnerships for communications infrastructure would deliver the optimal mix of performance, transparency, and accountability.
27.32. Submitters expressed a strong and consistent view that broadband should be considered by local government as a key infrastructure asset alongside transport and water. On this basis they considered that it should be handled at regional level with regional responsibility for budget, plans, and strategies related to broadband infrastructure development.
27.33. A range of options were put forward for how broadband should be managed. Some envisaged an infrastructure authority which would include responsibility for a broadband plan. Other submitters suggested that the provision of broadband infrastructure should be run along commercial lines, in partnership with the private sector or as some form of State-owned enterprise. Some submitters proposed that local government should own infrastructure assets including broadband.
27.34. There is wide recognition that the pace of investment and delivery of high-speed broadband in Auckland will need to be accelerated for businesses in particular to be internationally competitive.
27.35. The key question is: what role should Auckland Council play in the development of broadband infrastructure? Local government has been involved in a range of roles including promoting and investing in broadband infrastructure. Auckland Council can also play a significant role in streamlining the regulatory aspects of a critical infrastructure roll-out and will be a significant purchaser of ICT for operational needs.
27.36. It is apparent that broadband, even at current service levels, is playing a significant part supporting and connecting economic and social activity in Auckland and internationally. Auckland has improving levels of broadband access, but broadband quality, price, and speeds are not internationally competitive. The problem is that the world is moving faster than Auckland to adopt high-speed broadband. Auckland’s broadband infrastructure needs to be improved, quickly.
27.37. The policy challenges for Auckland are to
27.38. It is apparent to the Commission that investment in broadband infrastructure will involve a mix of central, local, and private sector funding. Given infrastructure’s economic significance to the city, it requires closely co-coordinated public sector advocacy and planning with the telecommunications industry on a national and regional scale.
27.39. Auckland needs a change of approach to the current disconnected policy development for broadband infrastructure investment across the region. Planning and delivering an integrated high-speed broadband network needs to harness scarce, expert resources for the region, and the current approach acts as an impediment. Voluntary cross-council collaborative initiatives are slow and lack the formality and certainty needed if a mix of public and private investment is to be sought and leveraged.
27.40. The Commission notes that Auckland will need to have a more cohesive regional strategy that is capable of driving co-investment, and generating adequate funding and economic incentives to encourage improved deployment of broadband by the private sector. The challenge is to ensure Auckland has the appropriate public sector governance mechanisms and expertise in place to
The Commission considers that it is up to the Auckland Council to decide what position it will take in investing in broadband infrastructure. This will depend on a number of considerations including the Government’s as yet unannounced policy on broadband.
27.41. The Commission considers e-government has considerable potential to transform the way council services are delivered and to provide better quality public services at lower cost.
27.42. In conjunction with the digital strategy, the Government has developed an e-government strategy to improve the public’s on-line access to public services.37 The New Zealand e-government strategy has two ambitious targets for central and local government. The first is that by 2007, ICT will be integral to the delivery of government information, services, and processes. This target has not been achieved by local government. The second is that by 2010, the operation of government will be transformed as Government agencies and their partners use ICT to provide user-centred information and services and achieve joint outcomes.
27.43. Central government has implemented a number of new service initiatives using the internet including
27.44. To achieve e-government targets, Government has adopted a whole-of-government approach to ICT to create an integrated information infrastructure. The Government has also implemented a mandatory set of common standards and policies for cross-agency collaboration, citizen engagement, authentication, identity, privacy, and data sharing protocols called the e-Government Interoperability Framework.40 These tools allow public services to be networked across departmental boundaries to make information more accessible to people, with robust governance controls.
27.45. In New Zealand, the e-government strategy has been designed to demonstrate the strategic significance of digital infrastructure.41 It seeks to improve the quality of public administration and services and to provide greater opportunities for the public to participate in democratic institutions and processes. It is designed to make public information more accessible through the use of the internet. A high-speed broadband network is acknowledged as an essential enabler for effective e-government services. The strategy expressly includes local government. There is no current e-government strategy for Auckland. The Commission considers e-government is of strategic importance to the region. It underpins the effectiveness and efficiency of 21st century governance for Auckland.
27.46. In 2008, the United Nations undertook a comparative survey of 192 countries for e-government readiness.42 The survey evaluated the application of ICT by governments. New Zealand ranked 18th overall. The top 10 included Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The survey’s introduction explains why e-government is important:
E-government can contribute significantly to the process of transformation of the government towards a leaner, more cost-effective government. It can facilitate communication and improve the coordination of authorities at different tiers of government, within organizations and even at the departmental level. Further, e-government can enhance the speed and efficiency of operations by streamlining processes, lowering costs, improving research capabilities and improving documentation and record-keeping. However, the real benefit of e-government lies not in the use of technology per se, but in its application to processes of transformation – including greater citizen participation and harnessing constructive knowledge exchange.43
The significance of online service delivery
27.47. A recent survey by Local Government New Zealand has showed only 15% of the councils surveyed had e-government service policies and strategies.44 The survey identifies a lack of resources as the primary reason for the low up-take of e-government services. A few councils provide online payment facilities for rates and other charges (see Figure 27.3). Most of the council websites offered downloadable application forms. Few councils offer online interactive application forms or consents tracking.45 The majority of service interactions with councils surveyed are relatively high-cost face-to-face visits (47%) and by telephone (24%).46
27.48. The survey noted that the adoption by councils of the technologies required to drive increased interactive online services has been slow.47
27.49. Generally, local government’s progress towards achieving the e-government targets lags behind central government. Adoption of central government’s interoperability framework and common ICT standards is poor.48 Adoption of these elements of ICT infrastructure is essential in achieving cost-effective online delivery for Auckland Council services.
27.50. There is a high level of ICT duplication in Auckland local government with at least 10 call centres, eight or more data centres, and over 20 separate major local government-related websites across the region. Each stand-alone website has different ways of presenting and making available public information. There are no common IT standards for the councils in the region. A single website or “portal” is a common feature of government today allowing a user to search for information across public sector or council organisations with ease.
27.51. Compared with international trends, Auckland is generally lagging behind in delivering interactive services using telephone, internet, and mobile channels. Auckland should be more proactive in driving and creating demand for ICT services, including broadband, by providing service delivery leadership for new online services, generating expectations and demand for these sorts of services. Democratic engagement with people should be extended by increasing the range of services and service channels accessible online.
27.52. The internet is driving the development of new approaches to democratic processes. A class of internet user has adopted the notion of sharing by publishing their views on the internet through community networks such as YouTube and MySpace. Governments are starting to use this desire for interactivity to solicit opinion and feedback, or by acting as facilitators in online discussions between citizens – for example, the “blog” written by the New Zealand government as an on-line channel for improved citizen communications.49
27.53. Internationally, local governments are collaborating and joining up to provide shared services across council boundaries, or adopting collective approaches to common activities such as procurement and tendering. Worcestershire County Council and six other district councils have been working together to create the Worcestershire Hub.50 This is a “one stop shop” for the public to access all local government services in person, over the phone, and on the internet. The service provides a network of customer centres throughout Worcestershire, where members of the public can go in to discuss any issue, regardless of which of the local authorities they need to deal with. With 1,700,000 enquiries each year, the Hub is ensuring that a high proportion of enquiries are resolved at the first point of contact.51
27.54. The popularity of social networking websites is growing rapidly. As well as creating links between people in society, greater connectivity is driving more online interactions between governments, politicians and citizens. People are getting greater access to information presented by governments and using the internet for voting, two-way consultation and informal feedback on policy. This is greatly assisting the democratic process and ensuring a high level of local community involvement. In Bristol, the British equivalents of New Zealand’s community boards are using internet-based forums to improve two-way local government communications on matters of local interest.52
27.55. Governments are increasingly providing online services to citizens such as applications for planning, permits, and essential information. Natural and other disaster prevention and warning management systems also rely heavily on ICT. In Kuwait City, the building code requires new buildings to have access to broadband which is built into the utility infrastructure alongside electricity and water services. Internationally, public infrastructure is increasingly dependent on ICT, from traffic lights through to control of water reticulation and sewage systems, as well as congestion management, air traffic control, and emergency management.
27.56. A number of cities are developing operating models with less carbon impact assisted by e-government. For example, many paper-based services are being moved to an electronic environment. Transactions that have required face-to face interaction to prove identity are now being undertaken over the internet. In England and Wales, all planning authorities are now accepting planning applications via a planning portal.53
27.57. The Commission expects that Auckland local government will be able to provide people with access to services whether it be by telephone, internet, mobile phone, or face to face. The internet is now the preferred service channel for an increasing number of people. Auckland Council services need to respond and be more integrated, personalised, and accessible. Auckland Council should adopt targets equivalent to best international practice for the percentage of online transactions it undertakes.54
27.58. Unification offers a significant opportunity for Auckland Council to demonstrate leadership in broadband. Broadband networks and interactive e-government services can be used to extend the range of local government services available to Aucklanders. This opportunity is explained further in Chapter 32, “Achieving a High-Performance Auckland Council”.
27.59. The Commission is of the view that Auckland Council should take a whole-of-government approach to ICT and service delivery. Central government’s interoperability framework should be adopted including the common standards and policies for government agency collaboration, citizen engagement, authentication, identity, privacy, and data sharing protocols. These governance tools will allow improved communication and interaction between central government and Auckland Council, and Auckland Council and its communities. The deployment of a broadband network infrastructure to support Auckland Council’s operations in various locations could also provide the opportunity for improved collaboration with appropriate Government agencies.
27.60. The Commission has made recommendations on Auckland Council’s unified service delivery arrangements including the development of an ICT strategy in Chapter 32.
27A The Auckland Council should work with central government to prepare a regional broadband infrastructure investment and management plan for the Auckland region, consistent with New Zealand’s Government broadband policy.
27B Broadband infrastructure planning should be undertaken by the Auckland Council, whose role will include
27C The Auckland Council’s ICT infrastructure and functions should be managed centrally with a single information technology infrastructure and communications platform and common standards.
27D The Auckland Council should prepare an e-government strategy as an intrinsic part of its proposed unified service delivery and information systems plan.
27E The Auckland Council should consider setting targets for online service delivery consistent with leading international public service practice.
Transition27F The Establishment Board should prepare an interim information systems and e-government strategy for Auckland Council, including those elements set out in detail in Chapter 32.
1 See Appendix A, Terms of Reference.
2 ICT refers to a combination of telecommunications networks, devices, and services that capture, transmit, and display data, information, and pictures electronically. ICT includes infrastructure networks (including the internet and the transmission networks), mobile phones, personal computers, data centres, and software applications and digital services.
3 Broadband is commonly referred to as high-speed data transmission service, which allows users to access the internet and other digital services at significantly higher speeds than through a dial-up modem. Broadband internet access to homes and business premises is delivered over five types of technology, namely digital subscriber lines (DSL) using copper wire connections, wireless, satellite, cable, and optic fibre.
4 “e-government” refers to the use by government of information technologies (such as telecommunications, the internet, and mobile computing) that have the ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government. These technologies can serve a variety of different ends: better delivery of government services to citizens, improved interactions with business, citizen empowerment through access to information, or more efficient government management.
5 Notable examples include the Covec Report, Open Access Broadband in Auckland: Demand, Costs and Benefits, prepared for the Auckland Regional Broadband Advisory, June 2008 (available at www.tuanz.org.nz), The Auckland Regional Broadband Advisory Report, The Auckland Broadband Imperative – Enabling Transformation in the Auckland Region (a white paper for broadband in Auckland, version 1.0), January 2008 (available at www.aucklandplus.com), the ICT Taskforce report, Breaking Through the Barriers, June 2003 (available at www.nzte.govt.nz/common/files/ict-final-report.pdf).
6 ARBA has representation from all Auckland councils and the Ministry of Economic Development.
7 Covec, Open Access Broadband in Auckland: Demand, Costs and Benefits, p. 8.
8 The New Zealand Institute, Assessing New Zealand’s Current Broadband Path: The Need For Change, March 2008 (available at www.nzinstitute.org).
9 The Climate Group, Smart 2020: Enabling the low carbon economy in the information age, April 2008 (available at www.theclimategroup.org). The Smart 2020 report notes that teleworking can reduce the commuting car mileage travelled by teleworkers by up to 77% and reduce traffic congestion at peak times. The report suggests that video conferencing has the potential to replace local road trips and up to 20% of air travel.
10 DSL is a broadband technology that enables high-speed internet access to a home or business over a standard copper telephone line.
11 Statistics New Zealand, Information and Communication Technology in New Zealand: 2006, Wellington, 2007, p. 74 (available at www.stats.govt.nz,).
12 Ibid., p. 74.
13 Ibid., p. 74.
14 The Economist magazine’s Intelligence Unit has recently published its 2008 assessment of e-readiness (being a measure of the quality of a country’s ICT infrastructure). New Zealand ranks 16th behind Australia (which ranks 4th), representing a fall in ranking from 14th place in 2007. Economist Intelligence Unit, E-readiness rankings 2008: Maintaining momentum, 2008, p. 5.
15 www.oecd.org/sti/ict/broadband.
16 “Open access” is a term generally meaning that access to a broadband cable (and sometimes network hardware) is available to service providers on an equal footing.
17 See national.org.nz/Article.aspx?articleId=28767 and www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government+readies+new+moves+broadband.
18 Statistics New Zealand, Information and Communication Technology in New Zealand: 2006, pp. 8 and 14.
19 OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry, Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy, Broadband and the Economy – Ministerial Background Report DSTI/ICCP/IE(2007)3/FINAL, 2008, p. 24 (available at www.oecd.org/dataoecd/62/7/40781696.pdf).
20 Statistics New Zealand, Information and Communication Technology in New Zealand: 2006, p. 74.
21 Skype is a voice over internet protocol which allows users to make free voice and video calls over the internet to anyone else who has Skype ( www.skype.com).
22 Ministry of Economic Development, “Briefing for the Incoming Minister”, November 2008 (available at www.med.govt.nz, accessed February 2009).
23 Ibid., p. 7.
24 www.nzinstitute.org/Images/uploads/Delivering_on_the_broadband_aspiration.pdf, p. 12.
25 A 1 Gb/s data transfer rate is equivalent to 1,000 Mb/s (megabits per second).
26 Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore statistics (available at www.ida.gov.sg, accessed February 2009).
27 Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Demand Aggregation Broker broadband program, 2007 (available at www.dbcde.gov.au, accessed February 2009).
28 Local Government New Zealand, Councils in the digital age: A progress report on local initiatives relating to the Digital Strategy, May 2008, pp. 47 and 48 (available at www.lgnz.co.nz).
29 Statistics New Zealand, Information and Communication Technology in New Zealand: 2006, p. 77.
30 Epitiro Technologies and IDC, A Report for the Commerce Commission on New Zealand Broadband Performance Q1 2008, March 2008, pp. 13 and 14 (available at www.comcom.govt.nz//IndustryRegulation/Telecommunications/MonitoringandReporting/ContentFiles/Documents/March%2008%20broadband%20report.pdf). The index measures the technical performance of internet service providers over a number of locations and at different times.
31 Assessed from current long-term council community plans.
32 Covec, Open Access Broadband in Auckland: Demand, Costs and Benefits, p. 68.
33 The “One Plan” is a strategic framework for multi-agency infrastructure planning for Auckland.
34 The Auckland Regional Broadband Advisory Report, The Auckland Broadband Imperative – Enabling Transformation in the Auckland Region.
35 Covec, Open Access Broadband in Auckland: Demand, Costs and Benefits, pp. 98–99.
36 Local Government New Zealand, Councils in the digital age: A progress report on local initiatives relating to the Digital Strategy, p. 17.
37 Details of the New Zealand Government’s e-government strategy can be found at www.e.govt.nz.
38 The New Zealand Government portal is available at http://newzealand.govt.nz/.
39 A social networking tool.
40 Details of the Government framework can be found at www.e.govt.nz/standards/e-gif.
41 www.e.govt.nz.
42 Department of Economic and Social Affairs Division for Public Administration and Development Management, United Nations e-Government Survey 2008: From e-Government to Connected Governance, United Nations, New York, 2008, pp. 19–21 (available at http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/UN/UNPAN028607.pdf).
43 Ibid., Executive Summary, p xii.
44 Local Government New Zealand, Benchmarking New Zealand local e-government initiatives 2007/2008, p. 4, (available at www.e.govt.nz/resources/research/benchmark-2007-2008.pdf).
45 Local Government New Zealand, Benchmarking New Zealand local e-government initiatives 2007/2008, p. 10.
46 Public Satisfaction with Service Quality 2007: The Kiwis Count Survey, State Services Commission, Wellington, April 2008, p. 14 (available at www.ssc.govt.nz/upload/downloadable_files/Public-Satisfaction-with-Quality-2007-_Kiwis-Count.pdf).
47 Local Government New Zealand, Benchmarking New Zealand local e-government initiatives 2007/2008. This benchmarking exercise found that only 10% of the councils surveyed were using the All-of-Government authentication framework and no councils surveyed were using the government shared network.
48 Ibid., p. 5.
49 http://blog.e.govt.nz/.
50 http://hub.whub.org.uk/home/hubindex.htm.
51 www.worcestershire.gov.uk/home/wcc-cs-lads-agendas-cabinet-181208-item9.pdf.
52 http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/bristol-bris.
53 www.planningportal.gov.uk/parsol.
54 In a number of councils in the United Kingdom, including Birmingham, Newcastle, and Surrey, all council services can be accessed electronically via a variety of channels, including the internet, kiosks, and telephone.
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