Summarised by Centrist
RNZ reports that a $150 million government IT project aimed at taking births, deaths, and marriages data online has been halted for being badly off track. The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) called a stop to the project and terminated contractors, raising concerns about potential job losses for employees. The project, part of the $300 million Te Ara Manaaki program, has been plagued with difficulties and was initially deemed back on track just nine months ago.
DIA is now in talks with the IT vendor, Australian company DWS Group, regarding the project’s progress. The decision’s financial impact on taxpayers and data security issues remain undisclosed, as the discussions with the vendor are confidential.
According to RNZ, public agencies have a long track record of mismanaging IT projects, resulting in significant financial costs to taxpayers or users, such as the police’s INCIS project in the 1990s, the Novopay system for teachers’ pay a decade ago, and the ongoing overhaul of Archives NZ’s collections search tool.
