A strong business sector is vital for a healthy economy.
There are at least 800,000 businesses (according to Better for Business team analysis using the Integrated Data Infrastructure — IDI) and self-employed people in New Zealand, employing more than two million people and paying around $88 billion in salary and wages each year (according to Stats NZ's Annual Enterprise Survey for the 2014 financial year, released August 2015).
While the World Bank ranks New Zealand as the easiest country to do business in, businesses dealing with government still say they find public services complex and fragmented, and dealing with government takes more effort than it should. Common complaints include needing to repeat the same information over and over, that rules and processes are too complicated to understand or follow, and that coordination between government agencies is limited.
Originating in 2012, Better for Business has grown to a collective of ten government agencies committed to make significant improvements to the business experience with government. The agencies have committed to work closely with businesses to identify key pain points and design ways to leverage digital technology to achieve better business outcomes.
Our vision is that 'businesses gain value from easy and seamless dealings with government' to enable them to operate more efficiently and effectively, and improve the productivity, income and well-being of New Zealanders.
The ten agencies include the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (the lead agency), Accident Compensation Corporation, Callaghan Innovation, Inland Revenue, the Ministry for Primary Industries, the NZ Customs Service, Stats NZ, NZ Trade and Enterprise, the NZ Transport Agency and WorkSafe NZ.
Our in-depth research and insights show that adopting customer-centric methodologies, and co-designing and developing innovative cross-agency solutions, are key to reducing the effort businesses need to put in to dealing with government.
Better for Business digital initiatives
- Unique insights into the cross-agency business customer experience
- Understanding and improving the traveller experience — NZ Customs Service
- AIM: using technology to manage provisional tax — Inland Revenue
- Joining up Government using tech to capture consent — 2Shakes
- From ageing processes to world-leading intellectual property services — Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand
- Helping small and medium sized businesses with risk management — WorkSafe
- Supporting critical risk management in New Zealand's ports industry — WorkSafe
- The NZBN is making it easier to do business in NZ — NZ Business Number
- An inter-agency approach to reduce duplication and risk in NZ's social sector — Accreditron
- Make it quicker and easier for new businesses to set up for success — business.govt.nz
Note
Some of the initiatives created within the Better for Business collective featured in the Digital Government Showcase. These included cross-agency collaborations, solutions co-designed with businesses, and accelerated innovations that have delivered successful outcomes for businesses.
The Digital Government Showcase was part of Digital 5 2018, the 4th annual gathering of the world's most advanced digital nations that NZ hosted in February 2018.
