Media Release
15 April 2016
Statistics New Zealand and Spark successfully deliver the first TaaS implementation in Christchurch CBD
Statistics New Zealand and Spark have partnered to deliver one of the first Telecommunications-as-a-Service (TaaS)
government connectivity networks, helping a number of government agencies return to Christchurch CBD.
From this week 380 public servants from nine agencies will work from the new BNZ Centre between Cashel and Hereford
Street. In 2017 a further 200 staff will join them in the building officially opened yesterday by Prime Minister John
Key and Minister supporting Christchurch Regeneration Gerry Brownlee. Bringing hundreds of government workers back in
the heart of the city is an important step in Christchurch CBD’s recovery as the city rebuilds following the earthquakes
in 2011.
Statistics New Zealand signed the first TaaS network connectivity agreement with Spark and is the lead agency
responsible for co-ordinating all the agencies working in the BNZ Centre.
TaaS has a vital role in helping the nine agencies, each with different communications and security requirements, share
the building and resources. TaaS was developed as a flexible way of delivering telecommunications and data services that
removes the traditional complexity of owning, managing and maintaining networks and will enable government agencies to
focus on their core services.
In the BNZ Centre the nine government agencies will be able to collaborate securely with each other and with their
customers. Public servants will have a modern, flexible working environment that is geared towards accommodating staff
mobility, and sharing common meeting rooms and networks. It not only meets today’s requirements but also the future
needs of agencies.
“From the outset, we were encouraged to explore innovative solutions to support a more integrated colocation of
agencies, enabling interoperability and cross agency efficiencies,” says Statistics NZ Chief Technology Officer, Chris
Buxton.
“Spark has provided exactly that through TaaS – a modern, collaborative working environment, providing the flexibility
to support broader government building use in the future for the benefit of all New Zealanders.”
Spark Digital CEO Tim Miles says the company is delighted to deliver TaaS, an exciting, flexible and outcomes-based
approach that will enable customers to optimise their use of telecommunications services.
“The opportunity to implement TaaS with such an innovative agency like Statistics New Zealand has helped ensure the
success of the Christchurch project. Statistics have embraced TaaS as a new way of consuming telecommunications which
will realise the goals of each agency in the multi-tenanted share facilities building. Not only does it support the
ambitions of the Christchurch rebuild, we are confident that this will lead to better outcomes for government and all
New Zealanders.”
The new services will allow a public servant to work flexibly from another agency’s premises and provide them with the
ability to securely share content, applications and collaboratively engage with other inter-government colleagues.
TaaS enables a government agency to select and pay for the telecommunications they need today whilst still being able to
quickly modify services to meet their changing business needs. The TaaS model of operating aligns and supports the new
government multi-tenanted sites, negating the need for individual network installations by providing a single shared
service for which each tenant pays only for their usage component.
-Ends-