Improving interaction with Government

We will use technology to support continuous innovation and improvements across our business. Technology will also provide easier and more cost-effective ways to engage with our users.

What we want to achieve

The Government Theme of Improving Interaction with Government has two specific result areas. The Ministry contributes to the cross-agency response to Government Result Area Number 10 New Zealanders can complete their transactions with the Government easily in a digital environment.

We will do this by continuing to successfully deliver new and improved online services across the Ministry’s business lines, and further developing the digital environment for transactional services. We will assess our service channels to see which level is required for each client type. Face-to-face services will always be available for those who need it. Through our extended Value for Money programme we will take a whole of business view of initiatives and
investment choices.

Specifically, in our context, we will deliver on the Ministry Outcome: 

• More people interact with the Ministry in a digital environment.

More people interact with the Ministry in a digital environment

Linking it all together

Government Theme	Improving Interaction with Government
Ministry Outcome	More people interact with the Ministry in a digital environment
Ministry Intermediate Outcomes	More clients are using a wider range of services online	Transactions with the Ministry will be more convenient for clients
Ministry Interventions	Work with other government agencies to improve access to online government services Increase the number of services provided through a digital platform
Ministry Output Expenses that Contribute	Vote Social Development Administration of Trialling New Approaches to Social Sector Change Care and Protection Services Collection of Balances Owed by Former Clients and Non-beneficiaries Development and Funding of Community Services Family and Communtiy Services Income Support and Assistance to Seniors Management of Service Cards (MCOA) Management of Student Loans Management of Student Support, excluding Student Loans Prevention Services Promoting Positive Outcomes for Disabled People Property management Centre of Expertise Social Policy Advice (MCOA) Tailored Sets of Services to Help People into Work or Achieve Independence Youth Development Vote Senior Citizens Senior Citizens Services Vote Veterans' Affaires - Social Development Processing and Payment of Veterans' Pensions

More people interact with the Ministry in a digital environment

We will take advantage of technology to increase our efficiency while better matching the needs of our clients.

The next three years

The Ministry is rapidly evolving towards new working practices as the environment around us changes. We are being challenged to continue the excellent support we offer our clients but do it more efficiently and ensure value for money.

Technology can support the Ministry to deliver on government priorities, implement superior targeted services to clients and create improvements in efficiency. 

streamlining our service channels…

We will develop a common cross-Ministry channel strategy to direct the best collective use of our technology, processes and people. We are committed to innovating inside and outside the Ministry. This will include outsourcing to partners or centralising of some transactional activities.

The strategy will help us make clear choices about what services are offered through which channels and to which groups of clients. 

using technology to deliver services…

Smarter enterprise IT investments coupled with process reviews can help us deliver better services and a more efficient operation. Currently around 60 to 70 per cent of the work that Work and Income, Seniors and StudyLink undertake involves very similar transactional activity and the same functions.

Increasingly our clients are using technology to engage with us. It can be easier for them and is more cost-effective for us. We are working to make our online services easier and faster to use. This will allow us to redirect resources to those who want more personal assistance.

We receive almost all Student Loan and Student Allowance applications online. The majority of students have access to ‘MyStudyLink’ – a secure online tool which allows students to manage their personal information, check their payments and view the majority of their correspondence online. 

driving innovation…

Through the use of innovation we will ensure that technology trends such as Cloud services, Social Media, the Mobile channel and Business Intelligence are understood and capitalised on to maximise our delivery.

We will continue to look at the use of technology to provide more efficient and effective services to clients, and to help our staff do their jobs better, wherever they are. Some of the areas we will maximise include:

• providing our services via the mobile channel – providing a greater choice of how clients interact with the Ministry
• using iGovt Logon services for Online services and RealMe for identity verification to simplify interactions
• developing an enhanced text messaging service to enable StudyLink to send one-off tailored text messages to students
• building a new business-to-business link with Inland Revenue to give students a single view of their student loan balances.

older people…

The start of the baby boom generation is now eligible for superannuation. Many have not been our clients before and are keen to minimise their interaction with us.

Strengthening our online presence and simplifying our processes will help our senior clients complete transactions themselves in a way that suits them.

Other improvements include options for senior clients to receive email updates about superannuation and the SuperGold Card. As well as the ability to access their details online and receive information about the range of support services available from other agencies and organisations. 

Community Services Card…

By simply showing their card, Community Services Card holders are able to access subsidies on the costs of health care.

People receiving main benefits, Veterans’ Pensions and the Residential Care Subsidy automatically receive a Community Services Card. Most students in receipt of a Student Allowance are also issued cards automatically.

working with others…

We will work with the Department of Internal Affairs and Inland Revenue through the Service Transformation Programme to improve the management and accelerate the integration of service delivery for New Zealanders.

Together we will move services online and make them mobile, to reduce costs across government and to improve the overall service experience for users. 

providing information to communities…

We have worked with the Ministries of Justice, Education and Health and Te Puni Kōkiri to develop the Contract Mapping website.

The website enables the public to view information on social services funded by the Government. Community providers can use this resource to find out what types of services are already available or may be needed in their area.

How we will demonstrate success

We will use technology to provide easier and more cost-effective ways to work with our clients.

We will know that we have achieved our outcome when clients move to new delivery channels with ease, and we see more people using the digital environment as a preferred way of doing business with the Ministry.

We will contribute to Government Result Area Number 10 New Zealanders can complete their transactions with the Government easily in a digital environment. 

To be accountable and demonstrate our progress, we will use short and long-term measures to track our achievement. Our short-term performance will be measured against the performance measures in our key accountability documents.