New Zealand climbs global digital ranking but equity lags

Techday NZ

6 hours ago

The New Zealand government has recorded improvements across all measures in Adobe's 2024 Digital Government Index, with particular gains in customer experience and site performance, but digital equity continues to require focused attention.
Progress in digital services
The Digital Government Index (DGI), conducted annually by Adobe, benchmarks individual government agencies and departments on their delivery of functional and inclusive digital services. The 2024 results show New Zealand's overall score increased to 66.5 out of 100, representing an 11.6 per cent rise from its 2023 ranking and a 14.7 per cent lift from the inaugural 2022 assessment.
This improvement moves New Zealand into the Intermediate maturity category, alongside all other countries in the study. The increase is largely attributed to a 14 per cent improvement in Customer Experience, which was the highest-rated globally, and a 13 per cent rise in Site Performance. However, the Digital Equity dimension saw only a 7 per cent increase, suggesting more work is needed to ensure equal access to services for all citizens.
The Ministry of Education was the top-performing agency in New Zealand, achieving consistent results across the three DGI dimensions without leading in any single category.
Strategic approach
New Zealand's current digital strategy is guided by the Service Modernisation Roadmap, which was introduced in late 2024 and takes a unified agency approach to service improvement. It is managed by the Government Chief Digital Officer and relies on individual agencies to implement consistent service experiences across government operations.
The modernisation programme is grounded in four key pillars: enhancing customer experience, developing reusable digital components, strengthening foundational systems, and improving digital governance. These focus areas are designed to produce efficient and equitable government services for all New Zealanders. "Scaled up across millions of customer interactions, there are opportunities for significant returns on investment from driving a more efficient, customer-centric approach to digital service delivery," said Paul James, Government Chief Digital Officer and Chair of the Digital Executive Board.
Comparisons and rankings
New Zealand was ranked third globally in the 2024 DGI, following the United Kingdom and Australia, and placed ahead of the United States, India and Singapore. The study assessed 102 agency websites worldwide, with Australia's myGov achieving the top overall score. French Administration and French Retirement completed the top three international websites.
The highest-performing websites generally provided accessible entry points to government services, strong accessibility features, and personalised citizen journeys. In New Zealand, the Ministry of Education scored consistently across all measured areas to lead government agencies.
Technology and trust
Artificial intelligence continues to influence how public sector agencies deliver personalised digital experiences at scale. AI adoption is seen as important not only for automation, but also for constructing a citizen-centric public sector. When implemented strategically, technology such as AI can deliver secure, trusted, and fair experiences, supporting New Zealand's approach to regulation and governance. "Harnessing AI effectively could significantly improve customer experience and boost efficiency and productivity. The Government is seeking to enable AI innovation in public services to create value for New Zealanders while maintaining trust and confidence in the Public Service," said Paul James.
Next steps
The 2024 DGI results reflect progress in all three measured categories—customer experience, site performance, and digital equity—although individual agency results varied and no single organisation outperformed in every area. The report emphasises the importance of continued effort across all dimensions to meet the expectations of citizens and keep pace with technology advancements.
The study also notes that agencies with more mature technology and personalisation capabilities tend to achieve higher DGI scores. The report concludes that while there has been commendable progress, there remains scope to expand inclusion efforts through technology improvements, in order to foster trust, participation and growth among all citizens.