Maurice Williamson - Report of the Y2K Task Force

Appendices

Appendices

Appendix I
Terms of reference

Appendix II
World-wide response to Y2K problem

Appendix III
Assessment data

Appendix IV
Good Samaritan legislation

Appendix V
Consultations by Y2K Task Force

Appendix VI
Task Force members' biographies

Appendix VII
Task Force Secretariat

Appendix I

TERMS OF REFERENCE - Y2K TASK FORCE

Government's Role The Government's role in relation to the Year 2000 problem is to:

raise overall awareness of the Y2K issue;
ensure that all public sector organisations are managing Y2K compliance;
ensure that major infra-structural businesses are aware of the Y2K issue and encourage them to have processes in place to deal with it; and
reassure major trading partners.

Purpose To assist the Government in its role, the Prime Minister has established a Y2K Task Force for the purpose of recommending options to the Government on any steps that should be taken now so that New Zealand is able to continue to conduct business through the Year 2000.

Terms of Reference for the Task Force
recommend options to the Government as to how to address Year 2000 compliance in the wider public sector;
recommend options to the Government as to how to encourage Year 2000 compliance in the private sector;
report on the current state of readiness in New Zealand to address the risks posed by the Year 2000 issue;
report on the expected state of readiness in the year 2000, based on current information;
build on the current initiatives which are promoting understanding and awareness of the risks of the Year 2000 issue in all sectors of the economy; and
assess any other approaches that could be taken to manage the risks, given the amount of work that is already being undertaken across all sectors of the economy.
The report will be produced within a short time frame and provide a focused response on the current and future state of the nation to manage the Year 2000 issue.

Ministerial Steering Group The Y2K Task Force will report to a Ministerial Steering Group comprising the Minister for Information Technology, Hon Maurice Williamson (Chair), the Minister of Finance, Rt Hon Bill Birch and the Associate Treasurer, Hon Tuariki Delamere. The role of the Ministerial Steering Group will be to follow closely the work of the Task Force as it moves through various stages towards completion of its final report. The Group will also be available to meet with and provide guidance on policy issues to the Task Force on an as required basis.

Assumptions The Task Force work is based on the following assumptions:

significant work has already been undertaken across all sectors but more could be achieved (The Auditor-General's report²⁴ and the departmental monitoring carried out by the State Services Commission provide evidence in the public sector and the activities of the Y2K Committee, the Stock Exchange provide evidence from the private sector. The Select Committee report²⁵ looked across all sectors);
private sector businesses have strong incentives to provide their own solutions to the Year 2000 issue in order to remain in business; and
the Government has greater leverage over the public sector albeit through different accountability mechanisms dependent on the organisational form (core Public Service, Crown Entities or State Owned Enterprises).

Appendix II

THE WORLDWIDE RESPONSE TO THE YEAR 2000 PROBLEM

To assist us to identify possible Government responses, we have identified the initiatives taken by the governments of other countries. Our research necessarily was selective.
The range of initiatives taken is very wide. To put some order on the available material, we have grouped initiatives by sector of application (public, private or both) and by type (promoting awareness, providing assistance and requiring compliance). A selection of the initiatives which have been taken is briefly summarised in the attached chart.
We have not attempted a formal analysis of the Year 2000 policies of other governments, but offer the following summary impressions:

we found no country where the government has decided to take a completely 'hands off' approach, although there are cases where initiatives have been taken only recently, e.g. China, and/or where they have been little publicised, e.g. Japan;
there are cases where governments have endeavoured only to promote awareness and understanding and encourage action, and cases where a more directive approach has been taken, especially in the public sector;
we found many examples where the initial scale of government-initiated or -funded activity has been scaled up, none where it has been scaled down (unless a policy initiative was found not to be effective, e.g. general grants in Sweden); and
there is little information available about the effectiveness of initiatives, perhaps in part reflecting the fact they are relatively recent.

A Selective Listing of Government Y2K Initiatives

Public Sector Both Private Sector

Raising Awareness
Organising workshops and focus for public sector organisations - Australia

International co-operation- initiated by Denmark and including Sweden, Norway, Britain and the US

Setting up a Y2K task force - most countries

Establishing web pages - Most Countries

Organising conferences - Most Countries

Initiating a Y2K outreach effort to inform schools, local government agencies and businesses - Pennsylvania

Establishing a Task Force to create awareness - Australia, Netherlands, UK

funding a mass media awareness campaign focussed on smaller businesses - Australia

Operating a register of Y2K compliant companies - Malaysiaa

Providing Assistance
Providing suspensory loans to departments - Canada

Developing a risk assessment methodology for use by government agencies - NSW

Funding training schemes - Denmark, UK

Training 20,000 youth and unemployed to work as "bug busters" - UK

Changing immigration laws to allow temporary employment - Canada

Providing advice and recommendations (often through web pages or manuals) - Most Countries

Offering free "How to do it" guides and comprehensive (user-pays) technical guides - UK

Operating help lines offering various services - Australia, UK, USA

Providing general Y2K grants - Sweden (now withdrawn)

Offering independent help with planning a correction strategy - Australia, Pennsylvania

Establishing a Y2K employment network on the web - Malaysia

Establishing a unit to advise the Prime Minister and the Cabinet - UK

Providing tax relied for Y2K expenditure - Australia, Canada, USA

Running a multi-dimensional programme (The Millennium Platform) th help companies deal with their Year 2000 problems - Netherlands

Making budget provision of nearly $120 million to help smaller businesses fix their Year 2000 problems - UK

considering "Good Samaritan" legislation to facilitate information exchange - USA, Australia

Encouraging a co-operative, non-litigious approach to Year 2000 problems through the "Pledge 2000" initiative - UK

Imposing Requirements
Assuming centralised control of Y2K fixed for mission-critical systems - Canada

Banning the development of new IT applications in departments until they can demonstrate Year 2000 compliance - Canada

Requiring quarterly reporting - Australia, New Zealand

Establishing a review team to assess the Y2K readiness of selected agencies - Canada

Requiring public agencies to report to the Task force on their Y2K preparedness and on any problems they foresee - Sweden

FOOTNOTES

The controller and Auditor-General, Fourth Report for 1997, December 1997. return
Government Administration committee: The Year 2000 Inquiry: Inquiry into the Year 2000 date coding problem, April 1998. return

MINISTER'S HOME PAGE || EXECUTIVE HOME PAGE

Appendix I
	TERMS OF REFERENCE - Y2K TASK FORCE
Government's Role	The Government's role in relation to the Year 2000 problem is to: raise overall awareness of the Y2K issue; ensure that all public sector organisations are managing Y2K compliance; ensure that major infra-structural businesses are aware of the Y2K issue and encourage them to have processes in place to deal with it; and reassure major trading partners.
Purpose	To assist the Government in its role, the Prime Minister has established a Y2K Task Force for the purpose of recommending options to the Government on any steps that should be taken now so that New Zealand is able to continue to conduct business through the Year 2000.
Terms of Reference for the Task Force	recommend options to the Government as to how to address Year 2000 compliance in the wider public sector; recommend options to the Government as to how to encourage Year 2000 compliance in the private sector; report on the current state of readiness in New Zealand to address the risks posed by the Year 2000 issue; report on the expected state of readiness in the year 2000, based on current information; build on the current initiatives which are promoting understanding and awareness of the risks of the Year 2000 issue in all sectors of the economy; and assess any other approaches that could be taken to manage the risks, given the amount of work that is already being undertaken across all sectors of the economy. The report will be produced within a short time frame and provide a focused response on the current and future state of the nation to manage the Year 2000 issue.
Ministerial Steering Group	The Y2K Task Force will report to a Ministerial Steering Group comprising the Minister for Information Technology, Hon Maurice Williamson (Chair), the Minister of Finance, Rt Hon Bill Birch and the Associate Treasurer, Hon Tuariki Delamere. The role of the Ministerial Steering Group will be to follow closely the work of the Task Force as it moves through various stages towards completion of its final report. The Group will also be available to meet with and provide guidance on policy issues to the Task Force on an as required basis.
Assumptions	The Task Force work is based on the following assumptions: significant work has already been undertaken across all sectors but more could be achieved (The Auditor-General's report²⁴ and the departmental monitoring carried out by the State Services Commission provide evidence in the public sector and the activities of the Y2K Committee, the Stock Exchange provide evidence from the private sector. The Select Committee report²⁵ looked across all sectors); private sector businesses have strong incentives to provide their own solutions to the Year 2000 issue in order to remain in business; and the Government has greater leverage over the public sector albeit through different accountability mechanisms dependent on the organisational form (core Public Service, Crown Entities or State Owned Enterprises).
Appendix II
	THE WORLDWIDE RESPONSE TO THE YEAR 2000 PROBLEM
	To assist us to identify possible Government responses, we have identified the initiatives taken by the governments of other countries. Our research necessarily was selective. The range of initiatives taken is very wide. To put some order on the available material, we have grouped initiatives by sector of application (public, private or both) and by type (promoting awareness, providing assistance and requiring compliance). A selection of the initiatives which have been taken is briefly summarised in the attached chart. We have not attempted a formal analysis of the Year 2000 policies of other governments, but offer the following summary impressions: we found no country where the government has decided to take a completely 'hands off' approach, although there are cases where initiatives have been taken only recently, e.g. China, and/or where they have been little publicised, e.g. Japan; there are cases where governments have endeavoured only to promote awareness and understanding and encourage action, and cases where a more directive approach has been taken, especially in the public sector; we found many examples where the initial scale of government-initiated or -funded activity has been scaled up, none where it has been scaled down (unless a policy initiative was found not to be effective, e.g. general grants in Sweden); and there is little information available about the effectiveness of initiatives, perhaps in part reflecting the fact they are relatively recent. A Selective Listing of Government Y2K Initiatives

	Public Sector	Both	Private Sector
Raising Awareness	Organising workshops and focus for public sector organisations - Australia	International co-operation- initiated by Denmark and including Sweden, Norway, Britain and the US Setting up a Y2K task force - most countries Establishing web pages - Most Countries Organising conferences - Most Countries Initiating a Y2K outreach effort to inform schools, local government agencies and businesses - Pennsylvania	Establishing a Task Force to create awareness - Australia, Netherlands, UK funding a mass media awareness campaign focussed on smaller businesses - Australia Operating a register of Y2K compliant companies - Malaysiaa
Providing Assistance	Providing suspensory loans to departments - Canada Developing a risk assessment methodology for use by government agencies - NSW	Funding training schemes - Denmark, UK Training 20,000 youth and unemployed to work as "bug busters" - UK Changing immigration laws to allow temporary employment - Canada Providing advice and recommendations (often through web pages or manuals) - Most Countries Offering free "How to do it" guides and comprehensive (user-pays) technical guides - UK Operating help lines offering various services - Australia, UK, USA Providing general Y2K grants - Sweden (now withdrawn) Offering independent help with planning a correction strategy - Australia, Pennsylvania Establishing a Y2K employment network on the web - Malaysia Establishing a unit to advise the Prime Minister and the Cabinet - UK	Providing tax relied for Y2K expenditure - Australia, Canada, USA Running a multi-dimensional programme (The Millennium Platform) th help companies deal with their Year 2000 problems - Netherlands Making budget provision of nearly $120 million to help smaller businesses fix their Year 2000 problems - UK considering "Good Samaritan" legislation to facilitate information exchange - USA, Australia Encouraging a co-operative, non-litigious approach to Year 2000 problems through the "Pledge 2000" initiative - UK
Imposing Requirements	Assuming centralised control of Y2K fixed for mission-critical systems - Canada Banning the development of new IT applications in departments until they can demonstrate Year 2000 compliance - Canada Requiring quarterly reporting - Australia, New Zealand Establishing a review team to assess the Y2K readiness of selected agencies - Canada Requiring public agencies to report to the Task force on their Y2K preparedness and on any problems they foresee - Sweden