Portal Proves Popular

In its first two weeks of operation the new government web portal - www.govt.nz < http://www.govt.nz > - has proved a popular Internet destination for national and international visitors.

The State Service Commission's E-government Unit Director, Brendan Boyle, said the portal has past the magic million milestone with 1.1 million hits within its first week.

"Overall we are seeing 25 percent more activity than the previous government website, known as NZGO. On average the site is getting more than 3,000 visits every day from nearly 2,000 separate individuals.

"The mornings are busiest, but even after midnight we are still getting visitors.

"We have received an enormous amount and variety of feedback from these visitors. Comments have come from right across the globe - from places like Canada, Hong Kong Australia and France.

"Queries from our visitors has been equally diverse - from the predictable ("how can I find out about student loan payments?"), to the adventurous ("information wanted about travelling to New Zealand in a sail boat"), right through to the quirky ("how can I obtain Sir Edmund Hillary's signature?").

"We are really pleased with the performance of the portal to date. It has coped extremely well with the increased visitor numbers and their extensive searches for information.

"Even this early we are beginning to see how features like the Government A-Z going to be popular. People are also making good use of the powerful search feature of the site.

"We will continue to monitor the performance of the site and respond to ideas to develop the site further," Brendan Boyle said.

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