Part 2: The projects that we looked at
Realising benefits from six public sector technology projects.
2.1
Figure 1 shows the six ICT-enabled projects, public entities, main direct benefits, scale, and main lesson learned. Collectively, the total public investment in the projects has been more than $200 million (excluding ongoing operating costs).3
Figure 1
The projects and their main direct benefits and lessons
| Project | Entity | Main direct benefits and lessons | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supporting jobs in Christchurch after the February 2011 earthquake | Ministry of Social Development | Main direct benefit Immediate financial support was available to people who experienced an income loss as a result of the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Scale $53 million in payments were made in the first week the system was in place. By 30 June 2011, the system had been used to pay $202 million to 20,000 employers and 50,000 employees. Main lesson Results can be delivered very quickly if an appropriately agile approach is taken. |
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| Providing real-time travel information services | New Zealand Transport Agency | Main direct benefit NZTA data sets are freely available to third parties to prepare real-time travel information services. These services help the public to make informed decisions before and during travel. Scale As of May 2012, about 300 third-party providers have access to NZTA data sets. Main lesson Involving third parties in aspects of a project that are not the entity's core business can lead to more effective benefits being delivered at no cost to the entity. |
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| Faster passenger processing at airports | New Zealand Customs Service | Main direct benefit People travelling between New Zealand and Australia enjoy more accurate, cheaper, and faster passenger processing at the airport border. Scale About 3 million passengers have used SmartGate to date. Main lesson Strong leadership and support from main stakeholders can be critical to effective results being delivered quickly. |
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| Portal access to Student Loan account information | Inland Revenue Department | Main direct benefit Consolidated student loan balance information is available at a single information portal, helping people to manage their loan balance and repayments. Scale About 700,000 people have student loans, with the total value of the loans being about $13 billion. Main lesson Going back to the drawing board when necessary can be critical to success. |
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| Managing land title records electronically | Land Information New Zealand | Main direct benefit Users can access an online, more efficient, land property title system with better quality data. Scale More than 70% of land title transactions are now registered instantaneously, making reporting for lawyers, local authorities, and surveyors easier. Main lesson Having a main business purpose, and involving people with specialist business knowledge, are critical to realising benefits. |
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| 111 text service for the deaf | New Zealand Police | Main direct benefit Faster emergency service responses to the deaf community. The community describes the service as creating "self-determination" and achieving "a tangible advancement in human rights". Scale About 240,000 people in New Zealand have impaired hearing. Of these, about 9000 are described as "culturally deaf".* Main lesson It is important to work with users to realise effective benefits for them. |
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* Culturally deaf people communicate mainly using visual language, especially New Zealand Sign Language.
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