Feb 21, 2018 - Better for Business (B4B), a cross-agency programme led by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE), has partnered with its nine other agencies to showcase a range of breakthrough government services and digital initiatives designed for business at the D5 2018 summit in Wellington.
New Zealand is among the D5 nations, recognised as the world’s five most digitally capable, alongside South Korea, the United Kingdom, Israel and Estonia. Canada and Uruguay have just joined.
“Coming together with the world’s most advanced digital nations allows us to both share and learn, so we can keep innovating and improving government services with our business customers in mind,” says Lisa Casagranda, Director, B4B at MBIE.
B4B is dedicated to improving the experiences businesses have when dealing with government, so they can operate more efficiently, effectively, and with more confidence.
Its showcased initiatives include the Accounting Income Method (AIM) – led by Inland Revenue to give businesses a pay-as-you go option for provisional tax, in anticipation of the changes to the provisional tax payments system kicking in on 1 April 2018.
MBIE’s Business.govt.nz is also showcased, including its online tools and services tailored to the individual needs of small business. This B4B partner has seen huge demand for its services, including the Employment Agreement Builder, which has been used by businesses to create more than 390,000 employment agreements since its inception in 2016.
WorkSafe’s Around the Block and Ports interactive tools enable businesses to understand health and safety risk management in their business context and operating environment.
“New Zealand is a great place to do business, but we know that dealing with government can be painful. B4B works with businesses and others to identify and deploy the best digital solutions, and give businesses assurance that they’re doing things right while on a pathway to growth,” says Ms Casagranda.
The theme for the D5 2018 summit is ‘e kōre e taea e te whenu kotaki te whāriki te raranga’ — ‘one strand alone will not weave a tapestry’ — with a particular focus on digital rights.
B4B is led by MBIE, working alongside Inland Revenue, ACC, Callaghan Innovation, the Ministry for Primary Industries, the New Zealand Customs Service, Stats NZ, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, NZ Transport Agency, and WorkSafe New Zealand.
| A MBIE release || February 2018 |||