What is digital continuity?
Why is digital continuity important?
What is digital information?
What is the Digital Continuity Action Plan?
Why do we need it?
What about the rights of New Zealanders?
How will the plan make a difference?
What public sector organisations does the plan apply to?
Is the plan compulsory for all public sector agencies to implement?
Who will be responsible for its implementation?
How will Archives New Zealand support public agencies to do this?
Do public sector agencies have the skills to deliver on the plan?
Why is this plan necessary?
Do other countries have digital continuity plans like this one?
What are some action tips for maintaining digital information?
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What is digital continuity?
Digital continuity is about ensuring digital information is accessible, usable, and reusable by those who need it for as long as it is needed.
Why is digital continuity important?
Digital continuity is important because information being created now is often in digital format and it will be lost or unusable in the future unless it is managed effectively.
What is digital information?
Digital information includes any type or form of information created, stored or held in any digital format or platform. For example, contracts agreements, health records, building plans, client and case management systems, geospatial information systems, information on shared or network computer drives, data sets, memory sticks, cell phones, email and so on.
What is the Digital Continuity Action Plan?
The plan is an all-of-government approach to the pressing issues of digital continuity. Outlining six goals and 15 actions areas for implementation over the next three years, the plan will assist public sector organisations develop policies and actions to identify and sustain their digital environment, and to protect information of long-term value. Archives New Zealand developed the plan following public consultation during late 2008.
Why do we need it?
The plan will ensure public sector digital information is managed efficiently, and is trusted and accessible, now and in the future. Effective digital information management will preserve digital records of long-term value to New Zealand, and ensure what is not needed is properly disposed of in a controlled environment.
What about the rights of New Zealanders?
Public sector digital information supports New Zealanders obtaining their rights and entitlements, for example, by documenting their rights to property, passports, benefits, compensation and justice. It is important to all New Zealanders for this information to be well managed and only accessible to those with the proper mandate.
How will the plan make a difference?
Improving the way we manage information across the public sector will help to improve service delivery to New Zealanders. The plan initiates more cross-agency information sharing and collaboration across the public sector which will minimise duplication of effort and expenditure and help generate cost savings.
What public sector organisations does the plan apply to?
The plan applies to local government departments, local authorities, crown research institutes, crown entities, state enterprises, district health boards, tertiary education institutions and state and integrated schools.
Is the plan compulsory for all public sector agencies to implement?
While it’s not compulsory public sector agencies are required to manage their information effectively by a number of acts, including the Official Information Act 1982, the Public Finance Act 1989, the Privacy Act 1993 and the Public Records Act 2005. The focus of the plan is on business improvement and not compliance for compliance sake.
Who will be responsible for its implementation?
Archives New Zealand will work with public sector agencies to lead a staged implementation of the plan, starting with government departments.
How will Archives New Zealand support public agencies to do this?
Archives New Zealand will be working with other government agencies including Statistics New Zealand, Government Technology Services, the National Library of New Zealand and the State Services Commission to implement the plan.
Do public sector agencies have the skills to deliver on the plan?
At the moment some agencies do not have the skills required to undertake this work, which is why sharing our resources and expertise across the public sector will benefit us all. This is an emerging area and one in which we all have to up-skill to address successfully.
In 2010 Archives New Zealand will start auditing state sector agencies on their recordkeeping. Why is this plan necessary?
The plan is complementary to the audits which start in 2010 as part of the regulatory programme required under the Public Records Act 2005. The plan sets out a wider programme of work to provide support, develop solutions and enable good practice for digital continuity across the public sector.
Do other countries have digital continuity plans like this one?
Other countries do have initiatives that are being implemented, but New Zealand is the first to establish an inclusive and unified whole-of government plan at Cabinet level.
What are some action tips for maintaining digital information?
For more information see the Digital Continuity Action Plan.
Or contact Archives New Zealand
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