Learning from the UK: insights from the Digital Government Exhibition

I recently attended the Digital Government Exhibition in London, a gathering of over 2400 professionals from across the public sector to share the benefits of digital innovation.

The conference was packed full of useful insights which we can learn from and apply back here in New Zealand.

Here are my top three takeaways for public sector organisations in New Zealand:

1- Data sharing for citizen enablement can produce significant efficiency benefits - when done right, data sharing can save heaps of time, effort, and duplication, helping not only those creating and managing that data, but crucially the citizen or customer at the end of the process. ?Think patients having a single medical record that can be shared end-to-end between local health authorities, GP’s and specialists.

There are challenges in data sharing, and these are often legal and regulatory as much as technology-based. I particularly enjoyed hearing from @Eddie Copeland, from the London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI) who talked about the importance of data sharing agreements. LOTI have made great strides in streamlining data sharing agreements in London, and Eddie highlighted the need for clear communication and consistent data formats from central government.

It’s important to develop legal and technical frameworks to facilitate secure and efficient data sharing across government departments. ? Trust here is also pivotal. You need a trusted relationship between national and local government and a third-party facilitator who can help the data flow in an agile way.

2 – IoT will be transformational in powering smart cities. ?Internet of Things (IoT) technology is helping cities to reduce their carbon footprint and improve the citizen experience by conserving energy and allowing for much better and more granular management of modern citywide infrastructure. ?

To enable this transformation, it is important to understand and prioritise investment in legacy systems to prepare them for transformation, create a playbook for transformation to give organisations clear guidelines to navigate, and focus on modernising data management practices, including data labelling, sharing and security.

I loved hearing about how cities in the UK, such as Sunderland, are using new IoT technology to enable better connected and smarter cities. Leveraging the technology to create easier transport journeys, safer social housing, energy efficiencies through smart street lighting, and business creation through their commitment to innovation and technology. This is something we’re already working on in New Zealand, for example smart water meters are helping some councils to respond to water leaks quickly, but we can always extend this further!

3 - Focus on Digital Journeys and improve the end user experience in social services

The UK’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) ran areally insightful session on digital journeys. DWP is responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy in the UK, administering state pensions and disability allowances. ?As you can imagine, this is enormously complex, servicing around 20 million claimants and customers. ?DWP are adopting automation and new technology to improve how they work. ?Using human centred design, they have rolled out new digital tools such as a vulnerability checker and are now using generative AI for policy and training content creation. ?

Like all good digital transformations, they start with user need, focusing on the digital journey that users will take, and thinking about how the solution will improve that experience.?DWP advocated for a collaborative and iterative approach to digital transformation, seeking feedback and improving as they go. ?This is as much a mindset shift as a technology shift.

Overall, I left the conference feeling excited for the possibilities ahead of us, and the role One New Zealand can play by partnering with New Zealand enterprise and public sector organisations to get connected.

One New Zealand Nick Quin Hon Judith Collins KC MP