'Country' should take over digital strategy from Government, says NZTech

Monday, 17 September 2018

Digital policy momentum may be too important to be jeopardised by government missteps, industry body believes.

The country should take matters into its own hands after the Government's second failure to appoint a national chief technology officer, technology industry body NZTech says.

NZTech had been an enthusiastic backer of the Government's plan to appoint a technologist to help guide the country's digital future.

But chief executive Graeme Muller said 'the country' should press ahead without the Government, in the wake of the fiasco surrounding the non-appointment of CTO candidate Derek Handley.

Handley will be paid out $107,500 by the Government after it offered him the CTO job in August and then reneged, with Handley committing to donate the proceeds to worthy causes.

* Derek Handley receives $107k in compensation after being dumped

* Clare Curran's resignation provides opportunity to change course**

Muller said the Government's handling of the CTO process had been 'a shocker'.

Newly-appointed Government Digital Services Minister Megan Woods has ordered a review of the CTO position, which had already been 're-scoped' once this year after the first attempt to recruit a candidate failed in January.

A spokesman for Woods said the minister aimed to take a new proposal to the Cabinet in November.

The 'starting assumption' for the review was that the CTO position would still be created, but that was not decided, he said.

Muller said a national CTO was first proposed four years ago and technology businesses and organisations 'should not wait for government anymore'.

'Let's just get on with it. Four years is too long to wait for a New Zealand government to establish a high-level technology advisory role.

'Let's develop our own 'Ministry of the Future' and collectively start developing a national digital/technology strategy for New Zealand.'

Muller said he would make a pitch to NZTech's board on Thursday and hoped to involve the scores of candidates who applied for the government-advertised CTO job.

It was too early to say what the structure of the industry-backed body should be or how it would be funded, he said.

NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says Kiwi tech businesses and organisations should not wait for government anymore.

'My perspective is you work out what you want first, and then you work out how you are going to fund it.'

The new proposed body would need to deal with the Government but the important thing now was to maintain 'momentum', Muller said. 'If we sit back and wait for another year, we are losing time.'

NZTech, which represents 800 organisations, might still support whatever government initiative fell out of Woods' review, he said.

The Government might consider appointing an adviser who would work alongside the Prime Minister's existing chief science adviser, he said.