Conclusion

These agency initiatives illustrate different aspects of the development of e-government in New Zealand, and the perspectives of those responsible for the delivery of government services.

It is evident that, increasingly, agencies are designing and delivering services that manifest the characteristics of successful e-government, as defined by the E-government Strategy: Convenience and satisfaction; Integration and efficiency; Trust and participation.

However, they also signal that significant progress is being made beyond the 2007 e-government milestone (that networks and internet technologies are integral to information and service delivery) towards transformation of government service delivery through the use of technology.

This review is a snapshot of the status of government projects and programmes at one moment during a period of considerable change. It has not been possible to take into account all government initiatives; nevertheless, from this representative sample it is clear that there has been significant achievement over a brief period of time. It is also apparent that such change and much achievement is likely to continue apace over the next few years.

There is significant evidence that agencies have embraced the principles and objectives behind the E-government Strategy, and have applied considerable resources, initiative, and innovation to achieving them. But it is also clear that there are huge challenges ahead for agencies, as they make use of developing infrastructure to provide more joined-up service delivery to meet user needs better in the future.