Govt.nz principles, vision and goals

Govt.nz is here to make it easier for you to find and use government information and services online.

Govt.nz puts you, the user, at the centre of everything.

Content is in plain English, so the website is easy to read and easy to understand. The content on the site is organised in the way you search for information.

What guides Govt.nz

Govt.nz is guided by the Strategy for a Digital Public Service, which provides new opportunities to support better public services by putting you at the centre of the design.

Strategy for a Digital Public Service

Who owns the site

This site is owned and maintained by the All-of-Government Service Delivery team, part of the Department of Internal Affairs.

Department of Internal Affairs

Making the site easy to use

Govt.nz is accessible, which means that everybody can use it, regardless of their ability or the type of technology they’re using.

The site should work as well on a mobile phone as it does on a desktop computer. You should be able to find and understand information even if you’re not very confident using digital technology or have an impairment that makes it harder to use.

Govt.nz follows best-practice advice for online Government content.

Content design guidance

Note: If something does not look right or you’re having difficulty finding information, there’s a link to a feedback form on the bottom of every page.

Vision

The Govt.nz vision is to make it easy for you to find and use government services.

The website aims to:

  • make what government does easier to understand
  • improve the online experience of government
  • reduce the number of government websites
  • develop and share solutions that can be used again
  • promote digital capability in government.

Why these goals were chosen

The government digital presence is often messy, confusing and not well coordinated across agencies.

  • A recent survey found more than 550 government websites with a government domain name (.govt.nz). We know there are many more registered with .org or .co.nz. The government spends $75 million maintaining these every year.
  • Content is often duplicated across a number of government websites. For example, there are over 70 government websites that provide information about work and jobs.
  • People often need step-by-step help when they’re engaging with government. We aim to provide a holistic view of what they need to do, whether online or via other channels such as face-to-face or phone.

How goals are measured

Govt.nz:

  • complies with the Web Accessibility Standard 1.0 and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 — to Level AA
  • uses plain English for all Govt.nz content, with a Flesch reading ease score of at least 60
  • uses analytics to show that traffic from Google increases for unique content that’s moved to Govt.nz
  • does regular user research to ensure that integrating information into Govt.nz actually makes things easier for people.

NZ Government Web Accessibility Standard 1.1

The Flesch reading ease score

Utility links and page information

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