New Zealand State Services Minister Trevor Mallard said that approval brought future e-government services one step closer to reality.

The policy principles approved by the Cabinet set out the government's strategy for enabling electronic communication and authentication between citizens and government agencies or departments.

Once the policy is carried out, individuals will be able to securely conduct electronic transactions - such as filling out forms or making payments - with government agencies via the Internet.

According to a government statement Monday, authentication of an individual's identity will be necessary for any online interactions involving the sharing of personal information.

"When the e-government programme moves into its online transaction stage, New Zealanders must have confidence that their personal privacy is not being breached, and agencies must have confidence that they are delivering information and services to the correct person," Mallard said in a prepared statement.

Mallard said a project team has now begun designing an authentication process for e-government services in New Zealand. This will take place over the next 15 months, he added.

Reported By Newsbytes.com, http://www.newsbytes.com .

06:45 CST
Reposted 20:28 CST