Terms of reference
- Within this section:
- Requirements
- Environment
- Technology
One of the aims of the e-government programme is to improve the opportunity for people to participate in government.
This paper contains a summary of the raw data collected and assessed on New Zealand environment in which e-government operates, the barriers to and enablers of participation through e-government and the experience of governments elsewhere. This material has been used to answer the following questions and assess the scope for using e-government to improve the opportunities for public and businesses to participate in government:
Requirements:
What are the underlying assumptions to online participation?
- Principles
- Participation levels
- Trust and participation
- A framework to analyse and develop participation opportunities
How does e-government provide opportunities for participation?
- E-government strategy in relation to participation
- E-government Unit work streams
- Building capability
- Awareness of participation opportunities
Environment:
What are the particular New Zealand aspects that need to be considered in providing the opportunity to participate online?
Are there any particular considerations relating to Treaty of Waitangi issues or iwi involvement?
Are there any equity issues associated with e-participation and does this differ from what happens in the offline world now?
What experience can we use from elsewhere to assist in scoping the required activity?
What are the current and planned government services and processes that enable participation?
Technology:
What are the barriers and enablers associated with developing technology to support participation by people and business?
How can ICT enable participation?
The E-government Strategy, updated in June 2003, refers to more work to be done in the area of participation. The following table outlines the relevant section of the E-government Strategy:
|
Ready access by 2004 |
Delivery by 2007 |
Transformation by 2010 |
|
Government agencies will be making better use of the Internet to inform the public of what is happening in government, and of opportunities to be involved in government processes. Agencies will be learning ways to make use of the Internet to consult people about policy development, and service design and delivery. |
Online participation will be an increasingly important part of policy development and service delivery. Democratic processes may be electronically enabled (e.g. e-voting in local body elections [Electronic voting for elections is outside the scope of this report.] ). |
Online participation will have become the norm for many New Zealanders. Policy processes will have become more open and consultative. Service design and delivery will be much more customised and based on interaction with service recipients. Democratic and political processes may be undergoing some significant change as the relationships between government, civil society and business adapt to the information society context they will exist in. |
Participation in the online world poses a number of challenges, ranging from ensuring equity of access and opportunity through to establishing that people are who they say they are (authentication) and, therefore, that their contributions to government are legitimate.
The proposed activities arising from the research will be contained in a separate paper to be published by June 2005 entitled, Participation through e-government - proposed activities.
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