MIS 100 2007(1-20)

* Click on the triangle symbols to reveal the information for each organisation.
1 University of Auckland
2 New Zealand Defence Force
3 Fonterra Co-operative Group
4 University of Otago
5 Telecom New Zealand

2006 Ranking: 5

Senior IS executive: Mark Ratcliffe, COO, technology and enterprises
Reports to: CEO
Size of IS shop: 2250

PCs: 7263
Mobile PCs: 3670
Terminals: 0
Hand-held devices: 600
Total screens: 11,533

Industry: Information - telecommunications
PC environment: Windows XP, HP, IBM
Server environment: AIX, HP Unix, Irix, MVS, Solaris, HP Others, iSeries, pSeries, Silicon Graphics, Sun
DBMS: DB2, Oracle, SQL, Sybase
Address: Level 2, Telecom Networks House, 68-86 Jervois Quay, Wellington
Website: www.telecom.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: Operational separation; number portability; local loop unbundling; Next Generation Telecom – IP network rollout; Yahoo! Xtra joint venture; voice services platform replacement.


Telecom, New Zealand’s largest listed company, is undergoing significant change and strategy revision in order to drive the business forward in the new regulatory environment.
New Government telecommunications legislation announced in 2006 included proposals for operational separation of Telecom’s business into wholesale, retail and network units. It provides for unbundling of the last mile ‘local loop’ access and the sale of standalone broadband without a phone connection, known as ‘Naked DSL’.
Mark Ratcliffe, chief operating officer technology and enterprises, says Telecom’s focus is on engaging positively with Government and the wider industry in order to develop the operations, products and wholesale services that meet the requirements of the Government’s regulatory review. “Our key business objectives are to implement a sustainable, future-proof separation model that meets the requirements of the Telecommunications Act. We have proposed a structurally separated access network company that would own and operate the network assets. This would allow for a simpler separation model and faster delivery of local loop unbundling and Naked DSL. It would also allow for deregulation in other areas, enabling Telecom Retail to innovate and compete vigorously for customers, and further broadband network investment. We are consulting with Government and the wider industry on this now.”
Business challenges include developing and implementing an effective separation regime in collaboration with Government and industry, and adapting to this new operating environment. Telecom is also prioritising work streams to ensure it delivers local loop unbundling and Naked DSL as required under the new legislation. “The telecommunications industry is at a critical juncture. Telecom is obviously at the heart of the regulatory reforms being implemented. However, the changes being introduced impact the entire industry: It is critical the right incentives for investment are retained in order to further enhance telecommunications services to New Zealanders,” says Ratcliffe.
Echoing the trends offshore and locally, Ratcliffe says Telecom is also encountering supply constraints in its traditional sourcing approaches for skilled staff. “The shortage of skilled IT people we’re experiencing is similar to the dot com boom and Y2K days of seven or so years ago. This has been heightened by the volume of work required to implement critical projects including operational separation, local loop unbundling and Naked DSL.”
This year, Telecom will invest in a wide range of internal IT initiatives including ERP, business intelligence and CRM systems, server virtualisation, VoIP and mobilisation technologies, disaster recovery and e-business projects. Network de-commissioning and extension of customer product and services offerings are also planned.
Telecom is committed to continued investment in its broadband and mobile networks, after accounting for the new regulatory environment. Telecom has begun network expansion with the rollout of ADSL2+ infrastructure that will lay the foundations for Telecom to offer broadband connections with average speeds of eight to 12MBps for residential customers in the five principal metropolitan areas. Further broadband initiatives are being evaluated as part of the current separation and operational review. Telecom is also actively evaluating the potential of emerging mobile technologies for delivery of mobile voice and data.
6 Ministry of Social Development
2006 Ranking: 6

Senior IS executive: Tim Occleshaw, chief information officer
Reports to: Deputy chief executive, people capability and resources
Size of IS shop: 350

PCs: 11,400
Mobile PCs: 1700
Terminals: 0
Hand-held devices: 135
Total screens: 13,235

Industry: Government and defence
PC environment: MS Windows 2002, Dell, Compaq
Server environment: HP Unix; MCP; Solaris; Windows 2000, NT; HP 9000; Unisys; Sun
DBMS: Oracle, DMS2, SQL
Address: Level 8 Bowen State Building, 32 Bowen Street, Wellington
Website: www.msd.govt.nz
Key IS projects this year: Client management system; management information system for CYF; new service model for Work and Income.


The Department of Child Youth and Family merged with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) in mid-2006 to create an organisation of more than 9000 staff, 13,000 screens and with an annual turnover of $1.14 billion annually. However, the size of the IT team under CIO Tim Occleshaw has only increased by around 30 positions, to 350 permanent staff.
Occleshaw says the MSD is an outcomes-focused department, and one of the consequences of this is that both client and front-line staff requirements directly drive IT strategy and architecture. “We put clients at centre of everything we do and that puts some pressures on the IT systems. Our front line staff has evolved business processes and practices but IT and systems infrastructure has not been able to evolve as fast, so that’s a big challenge.”
Large IT projects for 2007 include a Client Management System pilot to be trialled among 800 users in the Bay of Plenty region and contact centres. Occleshaw says the MSD’s SWIFTT system, which manages core benefit calculations and payments, does the job well and isn’t up for replacement. However, SWIFTT is transactional in nature and not well suited to support the management of client relationships, which is where the new Client Management System (developed by Irish software developers Cúram Software) comes in.
“The Client Management System will make a significant difference to the way our staff can work with clients; allowing us to work with much better information, reducing the administration overhead, and also allowing new staff to come up to speed faster.”
Occleshaw says increasingly state sector agencies are joining together to provide better integrated services to New Zealanders. “Isn’t it better for our clients if government organisations can work together so that clients don’t have to talk to several different agencies about the same thing? But for many of us this means we have to work in new and different ways. At the moment, MSD’s infrastructure and systems don’t lend themselves particularly well to cross-government collaboration, so this is one of the drivers of our infrastructure roadmap.”
MSD’s general approach is to leverage technology to remove barriers to services and to enhance responsiveness to clients and stakeholders. Occleshaw says MSD is not seeking to reduce personal contact with customers, but to use technology to put them at the centre of what it does. Key IT activity supporting this includes the new Client Management System; greater integration of systems and joining of disparate repositories of client information into a single view of the client; evolution of integration strategy towards a service oriented architecture; and a management information system (SAS data warehouse) program for Child, Youth and Family. This aims to build managers’ capability to recognise trends, understand drivers and know what the information means, and what action they should take in response to indicators.
Occleshaw says the MSD has a knowledge management programme that will go well beyond being only a document management system. “We want to get this right – knowledge management has been a buzz phrase for a few years without being fully understood. We have an intranet which forms part of the organisation’s knowledge, together with a document management system (Objective). We are also using collaboration tools and looking at how to leverage the knowledge stored in various user based network drives.”
The MSD is a VoIP pioneer, with a fully integrated VoIP network since 2000. Recently, Genesys and Cisco-based VoIP technologies and systems have been deployed progressively across its contact centres to replace old managed services, with predictive dialling and routing tools.
MSD is moving from its mainframe systems in a careful, risk averse way, says Occleshaw, and is re-platforming and removing a system from the Unisys mainframe – the Trace system - that manages customer debt.
7 Fletcher Building

2006 Ranking: 8

Senior IS executive: Paul Knight, chief information officer
Reports to: Chief financial officer
Size of IS shop: 250

PCs: 4877
Mobile PCs: 1855
Terminals: 1641
Hand-held devices: 287
Total screens: 8660
Industry: Manufacturing
PC environment: Windows XP, Citrix, Dell
Server environment: OS4000; Other Unix; Windows 2003, 2000; Linux; Dell; IBM; HP
DBMS: SQL, Oracle, Progress
Address: 810 Great South Road, Penrose, Auckland
Website: www.fletcherbuilding.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: ERP system upgrade; IP telephony; payroll system upgrade.


Fletcher Building is a New Zealand-based building materials manufacturer and distributor comprising five major segments – infrastructure, building products, steel, distribution and laminates and panels.
Fletcher Building has a strong and growing base in Australia, Asia and the South Pacific. It employs more than 15,000 people in New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific Islands and North and South America. Recent growth has been built on a three-point strategy: Improving the reliability of earnings, maintaining and improving internal capabilities and taking up external growth options where they meet acquisition criteria. Business objectives going forward include enhancement and adaptation of the business mix through investment and operational changes.
“We will continue to invest in both internal and external opportunities, although there may be changes in emphasis from time to time. For example, we are now looking more seriously at potential acquisitions outside Australia and New Zealand,” said CEO Jonathan Ling in a recent address to shareholders. Fletcher Building is also planning continued expansion in Australia and New Zealand.
CIO Paul Knight says the business and technology strategies of Fletcher Building are well-aligned and over the coming 12 months, Fletcher Building will embark on IT projects including ERP, payroll systems, investment in VoIP technologies, wireless infrastructure and hardware upgrades.
8 Carter Holt Harvey

2006 Ranking: 10

Senior IS executive: Pat O’Connell, chief information officer
Reports to: Chief executive officer
Size of IS shop: 150

PCs: 5000
Mobile PCs: 1500
Terminals: 800
Hand-held devices: 1000
Total screens: 8300


Industry: Manufacturing
PC environment: Windows XP, Dell, IBM
Server environment: Windows 2003; Solaris; Linux; AIX;
Compaq; Dell, iSeries, pSeries; Sun
DBMS: DB2, Oracle, SQL
Address: 640 Great South Road, Manukau City, Auckland
Website: www.chh.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: M&A support; legacy system migration.


Business integration and growth are on the agenda for Carter Holt Harvey — which was purchased for $NZ3.3 billion by entrepreneur Graham Hart in March 2006. A softening economy exacerbated by a challenging export market is the main challenge faced by Carter Holt Harvey, says CIO Pat O’Connell. He says new business integration and synergistic use of existing IT capability are key IT goals for the group. “Accurate information, fast information and optimised planning are all important to the business, and are processes in which IT has a significant impact.”
In the coming 12 months, Carter Holt Harvey will continue a number of upgrade projects in the areas of ERP, business intelligence and financial systems. Hardware upgrades and work on server virtualisation are also on the agenda. O’Connell says Carter Holt Harvey has not made a significant investment in VoIP to date, but this year will extend data connectivity through access to 802.11-based wireless networks and mobile technologies. The e-channel is an additional focus area, and like many organisations in this year’s MIS100, Carter Holt Harvey is planning to upgrade disaster recovery and business continuity systems.
O’Connell says all IT functions are conducted in-house with the exception of SAP development and support, which is outsourced to former Carter Holt Harvey subsidiary Oxygen Business Solutions.
Ongoing acquisition activity by Hart’s Rank group also continues to provide challenges.
“We are constantly reviewing options for synergistic integration from all aspects — operations, application portfolios, licensing, and technologies, as we bring more business under the Carter Holt Harvey umbrella,” says O’Connell.
9 ANZ National Bank

2006 Ranking: 7

Senior IS executive: Tomasz Smaczny, chief information officer
Reports to: Graham Hodges, CEO
Size of IS shop: 500

PCs: 8300
Mobile PCs: 1800
Terminals: 0
Hand-held devices: 0
Total screens: 10,100

Industry: Finance and insurance
PC environment: Windows 2000, XP; HP; Dell
Server environment: Windows 2000, 2003; Solaris; Citrix; AIX; HP; Dell; Tandem; Stratus; Sun; IBM
DBMS: SQL, DB2, Oracle, Sybase
Address: 1-9 Victoria Street, Wellington
Website: www.anz.com/nz and www.nationalbank.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: Telling platform replacement programme; sales and service platform replacement programme; direct link platform upgrade programme.


ANZ National is New Zealand’s largest bank when it comes to customer numbers. The bank’s focus for the coming 12 months is on growing the business both in revenue and market share, with technology identified as critical to the execution of these business goals, says CIO Tomasz Smaczny.
“We must be positioned to partner and enable the business to achieve these goals. Accordingly, alignment with the business is a critical requirement for the Technology Team and we have invested considerable effort developing a Technology Business Strategy that reflects and supports delivery of the business’ goals,” says Smaczny.
The Technical Strategy of ANZ National also reflects this alignment. Smaczny says team structure follows strategy, and the technology team has recently moved to a new structure and operating model specifically designed to underpin its focus and engagement with the business. The new structure includes adoption of a business unit-oriented and portfolio approach to managing technology. This model has also been designed to encompass and deliver greater leverage of resources across the extended technology team.
“We recognise that people are the foundation of our success and have established a variety of programmes to ensure that we attract, retain and foster talented people. One such programme has been the development of clearly defined people and technical leadership streams, which provides our team members with viable options to pursue either career path,” says Smaczny.
Based on the new Technology Business Strategy, ANZ National has allocated substantial investments in its banking channels with channel IT projects for internet banking, telling, telephone banking, and call centres. These projects deliver the infrastructure that the business requires to transform its operating model, says Smaczny. Other projects include a sales and service platform replacement investment, hardware upgrades; server virtualisation and implementation of VoIP infrastructure. Business continuity and disaster recovery planning are further focus points for 2007.
The largest areas of IT project expenditure are the telling platform replacement programme, sales and service platform replacement programme and direct link platform upgrade programme.
10 Massey University
11 Progressive Enterprises

2006 Ranking: 13

Senior IS executive: David Morrison, manager IT
Reports to: Managing director
Size of IS shop: 64

PCs: 1900
Mobile PCs: 100
Terminals: 2000
Hand-held devices: 400
Total screens: 4400

Industry: Wholesale and retail trade
PC environment: Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, CE; Compaq/HP
Server environment: OS4000; Unix SVR4; Windows NT, 2000, XP; Compaq; iSeries; NCR
DBMS: DB2, Oracle, SQL, Teradata
Address: 80 Favona Road, Mangere, Auckland
Website: www.progressive.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: Systems integration.


A focus on sales, customer services and integration of IT systems are key priorities for Progressive Enterprises in 2007.
Acquired by Woolworths Australia in 2006, Progressive Enterprises continues to seek to leverage synergies in New Zealand with the new parent company.
David Morrison, IT manager for Progressive, says significant improvements are to be expected in the supply chain as a result of implementing Woolworths’ supply chain systems. From these changes IT will help their primary customer – the supermarkets – to deliver competitive advantage to Progressive Enterprises.
The support of senior management for IT, along with the necessity of an upgrade following the acquisition, is reflected in the IT project line-up for Progressive over the coming 12 months.
Progressive Enterprises is a light outsourcer, outsourcing IT education, some applications development and HR payroll.
12 Air New Zealand

2006 ranking: 12

Senior IS executive: Julia Raue, CIO
Reports to: Rob McDonald, CFO
Size of IS shop: 187

Industry: Transport and warehousing
PCs: 5976
Mobile PCs: 320
Terminals: 0
Hand-held devices: 120
Total screens: 6416

PC environment: Windows XP, Dell, IBM
Server environment: Windows 2003, Solaris, Linux, Sun, IBM, HP
DBMS: Oracle, SQL
Address: Level 19 Quay Tower, 29 Customs Street West, Auckland
Website: www.airnewzealand.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: Not disclosed.

In the face of increasing competition, concerns over the environmental impact of air travel, and variable travel and tourism trends, the IT services supporting Air New Zealand must by necessity remain dynamic and flexible.
The ICT team is composed of 187 staff dedicated to delivering continual operational performance improvements to the airline, particularly in the customer facing areas of online and airport self service experience, says immediate past CIO Alastair Grigg.
New CIO Julia Raue took over in April from Grigg. Grigg, who was interviewed for this year’s MIS100, says Air New Zealand has had huge growth in online bookings and is now re-setting targets around that and looking to provide even more capability and functionality for customers online. “There is also a need for improvement in the airport experience and the speed and ease at which people can move through [Air New Zealand systems at] airports,” he says.
Towards this, Air New Zealand is investing in improvements for better redundancy of systems, crucially important in an age where airports are resourced and organised on the basis of automated systems.
Other goals include revenue growth, and fleet and airline capacity growth, and the development of IT systems that better support travel agents, global distribution retailers and online travel agencies.
“Our e-channel strategy is diverse and not without complexity; we need to ensure all our flights and prices are well represented on any online travel sites,” says Grigg.
The Air New Zealand website, a critical sales and customer service channel for the airline, is constantly monitored and improved to enable customers to find information easily and conveniently, says Grigg. He says searches that return schedule results showing flights three days before and after the date specified, and an ability to book and pay ‘Air Dollars’ airfares online are appreciated by customers. But these functionalities require innovative and complex development of back-end systems.
Greater broadband adoption in New Zealand and abroad will help deliver Air New Zealand a larger target market of online users who respond well to a rich online user interface, including greater multimedia content, says Grigg. Air New Zealand is also developing software to automate re-bookings and cancellations and to help customers make re-booking choices online.
Air New Zealand has trialed SMS alerts for customer notification and communication and Grigg says while early trials were not widely adopted, the airline is looking at revising and re-launching the service because of its potential to instantly notify customers of important changes to flight and travel information if they cannot be reached by phone.
Key IT projects for Air New Zealand for the next 12 months include server virtualisation which Grigg says delivers a good return on investment despite the associated challenge of de-commissioning server environments no longer required. Cisco-based VoIP technologies will also be extended throughout Air New Zealand’s corporate head office and to other locations, as will Air New Zealand owned wireless network services in airline facilities including the KoruCare lounges in airports.
Air New Zealand outsources IT functions including host maintenance, IT education, elements of application development and PC maintenance to Dell or IBM. Backup and data centre services are delivered by IBM, network management and help desk services by Gen-i.
13 Inland Revenue Department
14 Auckland University of Technology

2006 ranking: 23

Senior IS executive: Liz Gosling, director IT services
Reports to: General manager, service and operations
Size of IS shop: 70

PCs: 5692
Mobile PCs: 1103
Terminals: 0
Hand-held devices: 396
Total screens: 7191


Industry: Education services
PC environment: Apple Mac, Windows XP, Linux, Cyclone Computers, Toshiba, Apple, Lenovo, IBM
Server environment: Linux, Novell, Windows 2000; Apple, Cyclone Computers
DBMS: Oracle, MySQL, SQL
Address: 55 Wellesley Street East, Auckland
Website: www.aut.ac.nz
Key IS projects this year: Web portals; CRM; infrastructure upgrades; information architecture.


Following a rewrite of its strategic plan in 2006, Auckland University of Technology (AUT) now has five key objectives for the next five years: Providing excellent education, conducting excellent research, actively engaging with communities, attracting and retaining excellent staff, and effectively managing its resources.
Liz Gosling, director IT services, says AUT’s focus is always on practical applied education, enabling opportunities in the modern professions and disciplines of today’s economy. Challenges include the need to maintain and grow student numbers in a tight education market, driven by low unemployment in New Zealand. Gosling says it is also a challenge to maintain technical support that is robust, easy to implement and cost effective.
The following key IT groups report to Gosling: The Client Services team, which is responsible for first and second-line support, training and audio-visual equipment; an Information Systems team focused on projects and system integration; a Technology Services group forming third-line, back room server, and telecommunications infrastructure support; and an on-site digital printing copy shop called PrintSprint.
Gosling says AUT is a large purchaser of telecommunications and as a result has been able to negotiate satisfying commercial deals with core telecommunications’ supplier TelstraClear. However, she says what’s important to AUT is access to e-learning and that is dependant on home broadband performance. “Cheap, good quality broadband available to New Zealand homes is vital to us; we can then deliver content-rich course content over our e-learning platform. What we can deliver at 56Kbps or less is less engaging.”
Key projects for 2007 include business intelligence, CRM and financial software upgrades. AUT is also committed to the cost savings afforded through server virtualisation and VoIP technologies and has implemented an organisation-wide Cisco VoIP System.
Wireless and mobile services are being extended and Gosling says AUT has around 70 Blackberry devices that it finds simple to support. On the e-business front, AUT is changing the structure of its key website from ‘one size fits all’ to separate portals — one for staff and students, and a transactional portal.
15 University of Canterbury
16 New Zealand Police

2006 Ranking: 17

Senior IS executive: Rohan Mendis, ICT manager
Reports to: Deputy commissioner
Size of IS shop: 252

PCs: 5700
Mobile PCs: 1000
Terminals: 0
Hand-held devices: 100
Total screens: 6800

Industry: Government and defence
PC environment: Windows XP, Dell, Lenovo
Server environment: Sun, Windows 2000, Dell
DBMS: DB2, Oracle, SQL
Address: 180 Molesworth Street, Thorndon, Wellington
Website: www.police.govt.nz
Key IS projects this year: Digital encrypted radio; hardware refresh; case management system upgrade.


Public perception of the quality of policing is a key challenge faced by NZ Police in 2007 and beyond. Meeting this, NZ Police has three strategic goals to 2010: Community reassurance through providing protection and opportunities for community participation, setting local priorities, and working in partnership with other organisations; policing with confidence using evidence-based proactive policing, timely and effective response for service, and thorough investigations and effective resolution of crime; and organisational development through technology and innovation, integrity and accountability, and providing leadership and staff development.
“We need real leaders in Police and we need them to be [rock solid] in terms of integrity and accountability that then feeds into community reassurance,” says Rohan Mendis, ICT manager.
ICT systems and innovation cut across all the above key goals, and in 2007 the Police ICT team is focused on staff training and education surrounding the use of new and existing ICT systems and devices. “Our methods of training are also being revised – for example, we are investigating training models like taking the classroom to the staff.”
Mobile access to core operational applications is another focus, and subject to finance, Police will pilot a wireless LAN and invest more widely in cellular mobile technologies, digital radio, and voice and data wireless networks. The goal is to make applications available in Police stations available on car computers, and eventually on secured PDAs.
Mendis says server virtualisation will continue, with a goal of 80 per cent of Police application servers eventually virtualised – it is already a third of the way towards this goal. VoIP technologies are also viewed favourably, with more than 3300 phones installed and another 7000 to go. Mendis says voice and video run well over the Police data network using Cisco multi-service network technologies. Police also recently upgraded its communications centre, internal help desk and traffic camera office call centre with multimedia-capable applications.
17 Land Transport New Zealand
18 ASB Group

2006 ranking 14

Senior IS executive: Clayton Wakefield, head of technology and operations
Reports to: Hugh Burrett, managing director, ASB
Size of IS shop: 450

PCs: 6000
Mobile PCs: 1100
Terminals: 0
Hand-held devices: 100
Total screens: 7200


Industry: Finance and insurance
PC environment: Windows 2000, XP; Acer; Dell; Toshiba
Server environment: MCP; Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, NT, XP; Dell, HP, others
DBMS: DMS, SQL
Address: Level 28, ASB Bank Centre, 135 Albert Street, Auckland
Website: www.asbbank.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: KiwiSaver, internet business banking.


Online banking security performance and business banking services are major focuses for the ASB Group in 2007 and beyond.
Business challenges faced by the group include the competitive nature of the industry and market fluctuations, which can affect lending volumes and interest margins. CIO Clayton Wakefield says the IT team, systems and initiatives underway are well placed to meet these challenges head-on.
Online projects include a new internet banking service called Fastnet Business Banking, which allows businesses to conduct banking transactions over the internet securely and in real-time.
ASB is an innovator in online security and Wakefield says ASB was the first bank to introduce two-factor authentication technologies. ASB online banking users enter a user ID and login password but can also receive a special code via text or a token device to authorise larger transactions beyond a limit the customer determines. “As internet use becomes more pervasive, we are focused on appropriate levels of security for our customers balanced with convenience, cost and risk. Our customers recognise the benefits of extra security.”
As a default provider for KiwiSaver, ASB faces a significant upgrade of ICT systems and software to support the scheme and Wakefield says this is the bank’s most significant IT project for 2007. Other key IT projects include refined business intelligence and data warehouse tools. Treasury system replacement is also on the investment plan and the bank’s CRM system will be enhanced and continue to be integrated into all systems. Cost and operational benefits around server virtualisation are also being investigated.
ASB is pleased with the benefits it has realised from installing a full VoIP network using Cisco Call Manager, says Wakefield. These include reduced toll costs, the introduction of video, unified messaging, distributed call centres and the creation of a ‘single environment’ across the bank’s 150 dispersed sites.
ASB has no plans to implement 802.11 wireless technologies but continues to expand its use of cellular mobile network service for remote workers.
19 Bank of New Zealand

2006 Ranking: 21

Senior IS executive: Paul Tait, chief information officer
Reports to: Chris Bayliss, general manager technology and operations
Size of IS shop: 300

PCs: 4000
Mobile PCs: 1685
Terminals: 385
Hand-held devices: 1268
Total screens: 7338

Industry: Finance and insurance
PC environment: Apple Mac; OS/2; Desktop Unix; Windows 2000, XP; Dell; IBM
Server environment: AIX; HP Unix; SCO Unix; Sun; Windows 2000, 2003; HP Intel-based; xSeries, iSeries, zSeries
DBMS: DB2, Informix, Oracle, SQL, Sybase
Address: State Insurance House, 16 Willis Street, Wellington
Website: www.bnz.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: Re-use of components through service oriented architecture; strengthening online and mobile banking capabilities.


Strategic priorities for the Bank of New Zealand in 2007 include building retail banking presence through excellent service. This will be achieved through offering customers new and unique ways to save money on fees and mortgage interest, as well as ways to earn higher interest on deposits.
“We’ll also be looking at ways to streamline the customer banking experience further, making it easier, cheaper, and faster to bank with us. Our latest offering ‘TotalMoney’ encompasses all of these things and based on the extremely positive response we’ve had from new and existing customers, it’s the packaged solution they’ve been waiting for,” says CIO Paul Tait.
Tait says a key business challenge for the BNZ is in creating the ability to be as nimble as smaller niche banking players. “However in saying that, our success at the Cannex Banking Awards shows that not only are we the best value for money in terms of the large banks, but our home lending, personal lending, and credit cards offerings are strongly competitive with anything available on the market.”
The regulatory moves afoot in respect of unbundling and opening up the Telecom network, as well as portability, are all positive and will enable improved service opportunities for the BNZ, says Tait. “The other major challenge is the cost of mobile termination fees as a result of the high interconnect fees that are being passed on to customers. These significantly threaten the profitability of pushing our services online at costs customers will find acceptable. For example, it is expensive to preserve free calling into our 0800 numbers for account enquiries from mobile phones. Some innovative thought is required to continue to deliver cost effective personal mobility for customers, something we are working on presently.”
20 healthAlliance

2006 ranking: 22

Senior IS executive: Phil Brimacombe, chief information officer
Reports to: CEOs of Waitemata and Manukau DHBs and healthAlliance COO
Size of IS shop: 98

PCs: 4700
Mobile PCs: 350
Terminals: 300
Hand-held devices: 0
Total screens: 5350


Industry: Health and community services
PC environment: Windows XP, HP
Server environment: Linux; Windows 2003, Windows 2000, Windows NT; Solaris; AIX; HP Intel-Based; Sun Microsystems, IBM RS/6000
DBMS: Oracle, MS SQL
Address: Middlemore Hospital, Otahuhu, Auckland
Website: www.healthalliance.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: Mental health clinical information system; chronic care clinical information system; electronic referrals; electronic medication record.

Responsible for providing IT strategy, operations and services to two Auckland District Health Boards — Waitemata and Counties Manukau — healthAlliance takes a long-term strategic view of the needs of both DHBs, says CIO Phil Brimacombe.
To support the two DHBs, healthAlliance develops and deploys clinical information systems that provide valuable information for both primary and secondary healthcare providers. Brimacombe says there is a need to reduce fragmented and paper-based information systems and continually develop and provide an integrated information view. That way, clinicians can get one view of the patient’s radiology reports, outpatient notes, test results and notes from other clinicians involved in that patient’s care. “For example, it’s very important to get the health of children right as the health problems of early life tend to become more complicated later in life. We developed the Well Child information system, which went on to become the national immunisation system, and want to expand that further to electronically capture and integrate more Well Child information and involving external providers such as Plunket.”
The three greater Auckland region DHBs are jointly implementing a mental health information system. It will eventually be linked to GPs and other providers so decisions on mental health care are not made in isolation. Similar integrated information developments are in place or in development for community health workers.
“A lot of people don’t need to be in a hospital and instead receive care from community health workers like district health nurses and physiotherapists or occupational therapists. At the moment a lot of the information these workers gather is manual and paper-based,” says Brimacombe.
healthAlliance will soon embark on a business intelligence project to deliver better financial information to DHB managers and on a large server virtualisation project. Brimacombe says healthAlliance finds virtualisation “quite challenging” due to the complex clinical applications the DHBs use. “It’s quite easy for organisations with off-the-shelf applications to virtualise, but our highly specialised applications demand their own quirky hardware. That said, we have to do it because we have hundreds of servers.”