Government Web Standards
Web Standards compliance
The New Zealand Government Web Standards and Recommendations are managed by the State Services Commission. The Standards were published on 21 March 2007, following a thorough review and consultation process. They apply from 1 January 2008 and are currently at version 1.0.
The Standards are based on the international World Wide Web (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiatives (WAI) and incorporate standards from the WAI that are relevant to New Zealand Government web sites.
A list of the correlations between v2.1 of the Guidelines and v1.0 of the Standards is available.
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Web Standards compliance
From 1 January 2008, these Standards apply to any web site that is intended for the public and financed by the public through the crown or through public agencies. This includes:
- All Public Service Departments
- New Zealand Police
- New Zealand Defence Force
- Parliamentary Counsel Office
- New Zealand Security Intelligence Service.
Government agencies who are mandated to comply with the Standards must:
- Make any existing web site compliant with version 1.0 by 1 January 2008, and
- Comply with any subsequent versions of the New Zealand Government Web Standards and Recommendations produced after 1 January 2008
Government agencies are expected to:
- read, understand, support and implement the New Zealand Government Web Standards and Recommendations
- conduct regular self-audits of web site compliance at least once a year
- provide good practice examples to share across Government
Exemptions from the Web Standards
If a government agency has valid reasons for not complying with the New Zealand Web Standards and Recommendations, they must complete a Web Standards exemption request. The Chief Executive or the equivalent second in charge must sign the exemption application. Exemptions are issued on a temporary basis only and agencies need to provide a plan of tasks and timelines to achieve compliance as part of their exemption request.
The Web Standards Team will present the application for exemption to the e-GIF Management Committee, which will confirm the approval or non- approval. Please contact mailto:web.standards@ssc.govt.nz if you are considering lodging an exemption request.
Crown Entities, State Owned Enterprises and Local Government
Crown Entities, State Owned Enterprises and Local Government are not mandated to adhere to these standards, but are asked to support the spirit of the Standards by seeking to comply with the requirements, to ensure as many New Zealanders as possible have access to information online.
Web Standards consultation and review
The Standards and Recommendations and associated support information will be reviewed on a formal basis annually and published during the 1st quarter of each year. Revisions to the Standards will occur throughout the year as required.
Feedback on the Standards is welcome at any time. This wiki has been provided as a forum for consultation on the Standards.
Web Standards compliance audits by the State Services Commission
The State Services Commmission periodically reviews government websites for compliance with the Web Standards. The next audit will be in the first half of 2008. Agencies are also expected to conduct regular self-audits of web site compliance at least once a year.
Accessibility audits by the Office for Disability Issues
The Office for Disability Issues has twiced reviewed the accessibility of New Zealand government web sites, in 2005 and 2006:
