Digital Strategy positive, but Open Source & e-waste missing
The Government's Digital Strategy, released today, is a positive development, but the lack of acknowledgement of Open
Source and 'e-waste' issues is disappointing, says Green Party IT Spokesperson Nandor Tanczos.
"The Greens are very pleased that a new secretariat to coordinate, assess and advise on IT issues is to be established,
we've been supporting this approach for sometime," said Nandor.
"We are also very pleased to see the Community Partnerships Fund. This will offer real opportunities for communities to
develop and begin to implement their own digital strategies. We support the Strategy's general vision of increased
access to both technology and information.
"But there are a couple of glaring omissions. Firstly, the potential role of Open Source software is not mentioned at
all, which, given the increasing size of that sector, the potential for New Zealand businesses to get into the action
and the fact that DHBs are investigating a move to Open Source operating systems, is both surprising and disappointing.
"How New Zealand is going to tackle 'e-waste' is also missing. Hardware recycling has the potential to improve access to
technology and enhance capability, so we would like to see some specific resources tagged to that end. This would
benefit both the community, by providing access to low-cost gear, and the environment, by preventing heavy metals and
plastics landing up in our landfills or poisoning people in other countries with laxer rules" said Nandor.