COVID-19 technology solutions oversight report back
The Government Chief Digital Officer (GCDO) has a functional leadership mandate to
provide oversight, due diligence, and assurance for new and emerging government
technology solutions. This includes assuring Ministers and New Zealanders that technologies
will be effective, while ensuring issues of privacy, security, and digital inclusion are
recognised and addressed. There are a range of potential technological solutions the
Government could use in its response to COVID-19, with more solutions likely to be
presented in the future. Government needs a consistent way to assess these options to
support long-term strategic thinking. As agreed by Cabinet, the GCDO will provide an
analysis of the technology response oversight requirements from an all-of-government
perspective, a proposed governance structure, and a Covid-19 technology support plan to
support this [
CAB-20-MIN-0175 refers]. We are currently scoping up this work and
developing a timeline for the Cabinet report back.
Contact: Michael Woodside, 9(2)(a)
Bluetooth Enabled Card – Proof of concept
Work is underway to assess the feasibility of Bluetooth-enabled cards to assist with contact
tracing as part of the government’s Covid-19 response [
CAB-20-MIN-0175 refers]. The GCDO
through the Digital Public Service branch is working with the Public Private Partnerships
team on the proof-of-concept for the card. A number of different workstreams are assessing
wider implications and implementation considerations, including policy, regulatory and
communications. We are working with officials from a number of agencies, including the
Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and
Employment.
A briefing will be provided to responsible Ministers (Minister of Finance, Minister of Internal
Affairs, Minister of Health and Minister for Government Digital Services) within the next
week with details of the approach being taken to this work, including an update on
progress, key issues, and seeking an opportunity to meet to discuss further. It is likely the
proof of concept work will be completed in early June 2020 enabling recommendations to
Cabinet in mid-June.
Contact: Michael Woodside, 9(2)(a)
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