Focus on collaboration at D5 Government Showcase
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.
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