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Fixing government IT procurement - Part II
Part II: A modest proposal
Having described a problem so pervasive in the status quo of government software procurement - which has led to a situation I have characterised, without hyperbole, as a…
Fixing government IT procurement
Today in New Zealand, local and central government procurement of IT services and software uses a model which, it is widely thought in the domestic IT industry, produces unsatisfactory results. Despit…
Derek Handley: The CTO role
The government's CTO role process has ground to a halt, but throughout it all, the man chosen for the role has been silent. Now, Derek Handley himself speaks out for the first time.
Brislen on Tech
There's really only one tech story of note this week - the rise and fall of the country's CTO, a role which hasn't even been filled yet.
The CTO role was initially mooted by Rod Drury who, presumab…
Online voting back on the agenda
Nine councils are looking at providing online voting for the next local government elections. An advanced notice for a Request for Proposal for an online voting trial was issued via the government's p…
Where to now for the CTO?
The demotion of Clare Curran from Cabinet means the future of the search for the country's first Chief Technology Officer hangs in the balance. Where to now for the role that can't be fulfilled?
Curran removed from Cabinet
Clare Curran has been removed from Cabinet following the disclosure of a second meeting that was not recorded in her diary - a meeting connected with the search for a CTO.
Brislen on Tech
In which we discuss free speech, the need to protect it and what is and isn't considered 'free speech'; why online elections create such a ruckus; and a new government marketplace to replace the panel…
Aussie govt backs down over privacy concerns
The Australian government has backed down over the launch of its controversial online health records project, MyHealth and a new clause will be added to legislation ensuring a higher level of privacy.
E-commerce report says Kiwis spend $3.6 billion a year
One and a half million New Zealanders shopped online in 2017, contributing $3.6 billion to a global industry that is growing far faster than its real world counterpart. E-commerce, it seems, is big bu…
Brislen on Tech
Data centres. Big fat juicy data centres, serving up the world's content, from right here in New Zealand.
You need a few things to make that a reality. You need cheap and relatively green electrici…
R&D spending already starting rise ahead of new regime
New research suggests spending on research and development is already starting to rise ahead of next year's new R&D regime, but the driver isn't necessarily tax breaks - it's probably more to do with …
Brislen on Tech
There's a cycle that major brands go through that's often entertained me. They start off as the challenger. The new kid on the block. Hey look at us, they say, we're hip. We're trendy. We're on point.…
Novopay gets the academic treatment
The Ministry of Education's payroll system Novopay has become a byword for troubled IT projects - it ran over budget, was poorly implemented, and caused huge disruption to the sector. Such was the int…
New Macbook line-up
Apple has unveiled a new line-up of MacBooks that the company says aren't related to solving problems with its revolutionary "butterfly" keyboard design, but early reviews suggest otherwise.
Brislen on Tech
I remember my first trip to Fieldays in 1983. We'd just arrived in New Zealand (literally only days before) and off we went to see this spectacle of New Zealandness. It rained.
The six-wheel offroa…
Software development - a cautionary tale
A sobering reminder this week about the need to protect source code ownership when setting up in business.
Brislen on Tech
Computers aren't what they used to be. In the old days (y'know, Windows 98 era) they were big beige boxes that sat on the desktop taking up far too much room and firing up the fan on an inconsistent b…
Brislen on Tech
Paul Brislen's weekly commentary on what's happening in tech. This week: Getting Data Protection Right... Research and development needs some help... Let's go shopping.
CLOUD Act – Law enforcement access to cloud data
Buddle Findlay's tech legal team discuss the US CLOUD Act and its implications for New Zealand.
