Following the announcement of its major policy to introduce direct democracy, and alongside its official name change to Freedom, the party has released a new technology policy today.
The policy aims to change how the government buys software. It focuses on stopping billions of dollars from leaving the country to pay overseas technology companies and instead builds local skills in New Zealand.
Keeping New Zealand wealth in New Zealand
Right now, a huge share of government software and cloud services is bought from foreign companies. The public cloud spend in New Zealand is expected to reach nearly ten billion dollars by the year 2028, and total technology spending is projected to reach thirteen billion dollars over the next five years. Because of this, billions of taxpayer dollars leave the country as ongoing subscription fees.
To pay for these continuous foreign software costs, New Zealand has to rely on selling primary exports like meat, wool, and timber. Relying on foreign software companies also creates big risks if those companies raise their prices, change their rules, or restrict access.
‘Freedom’ asks why New Zealand continues to pay high costs for foreign software when we can use open alternatives instead.
Key points of the new policy
‘Freedom’ introduces a practical approach to public technology buying:
Check Open Options First: Public agencies must check if a free and open software option is available and works well before they buy commercial software.
- Look at Total Costs: Agencies must compare the full long term cost of software, which includes licence fees, support, training, cybersecurity, and future setup costs, rather than just looking at the initial price.
- Explain Choices: If an agency chooses to buy commercial software instead of an open option, they must publicly explain why.
- Share Public Software: Software that is built using public money should be shared and reused across government agencies, schools, councils, and hospitals so taxpayers do not pay multiple times for the same thing.
- Use Open Standards: Using open standards keeps government data portable and stops agencies from getting trapped in restrictive contracts with a single vendor.
- Support Local Workers: Money saved on foreign licence fees will go to local New Zealand providers, software developers, cybersecurity experts, and hosting companies. This builds a skilled local workforce.
- Protect Security: The policy ensures that privacy, cybersecurity, and critical public services remain fully protected at all times.
International examples and Artificial Intelligence
Other countries already show that this approach works. Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, and France have successfully moved toward open software to lower costs and protect their digital independence.
The party also notes that modern artificial intelligence tools make it much easier to adapt and maintain open software systems. By supporting local and open artificial intelligence tools, New Zealand can build its own technical strength without relying entirely on foreign companies.
A vision for taxpayer value
The goal of this policy is to make sure government agencies ask the right questions before spending taxpayer money on longterm software contracts. By choosing open software, reusable systems, and local expertise, New Zealand can achieve better value for money, stronger local businesses, and true digital independence.
Read the full policy here Freedom – Open Source Policy
A decent idea but may take years to implement given the infrastructure of a lot of government departments runs on foreign software. Open source is a good solution but again not something that could be achieved overnight and again, lots of that software with support in place, is foreign.
It will be interesting to see how France’s foray into Linux goes.
AI makes software development a lot easier and cheaper than it’s ever been. Only a fool would continue using previous computing ideology in the sea change wrought by AI.
Accurately planning and describing your project, as with previous methods, is essential for good results.
Only if AI has the correct input (garbage in garbage out if that makes sense). I do use AI for some scripting but its often incomplete or inaccurate. Still a way to go there.
I know bugger all about AI but I think people get too carried away with it. I tell most people I talk to about GIGO. It’s always been the same.
Look at DataTorque, they are NZ, but govt always uses the usual suspects SAS and the others ….
Indeed they do SAP, SAS, MS Azure, MS Teams, MS Office, MS Windows, Redhat Linux, and many other well known international names….I think local is great but on going support is the real issue.
NZ Corpo Gov needs an Exorcism, and A.I. Is Ashkenazi Interference, who started that idea… Well the small hat Ba,al Hats, more Goyim Slop mind Rot. Vote small or not at all in Nov 2026 Federal Selection…
This is a sensible policy.
Jobs for who? More indians?
That’s great but when you going to get straight on justice for the innocent dead children murdered by the govt?
You know, teasonous traitors, anti-humanists?
And just like whistling and walking….crickets!
Finally a paety with brains and not bought by the j3w lobby.
But i doubt the average person will notice.
NOTE- THIS WAS ALL BASICALLY PROPOSED BY THE NEW ZEALAND LOYAL PARTY A WHILE AGO FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY INDEPENDENCE..!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0k6Er0o3II
“Democracy is the most vile form of government” . James Madison 4th American president 1751-1836.
I’m puzzled on the need to use offshore cloud.
Do we have decent NZ based cloud companies?
What is open artificial intelligence tools? Is it just another name for poking your nose into other peoples private conversations, whereabouts and what they are doing. Keeping record of everything anyone does.
Data storage on people doesn’t sound good. More like control.
‘Freedom’ is a deceptive misnomer.
We have NEVER had freedom; we have had only LIBERTY..
Compare the two…
Freedom we have never had, do not have now, and never will have! It fits hand-in-hand with the Sovereign Citizen ptofile and the freedom that moral anarchy can bring.
Liberty is only a granting of certain ‘rights and privileges’ as the government sees fit to grant the citizenry.
No government on this Earth has ever granted true and total ‘freedom’ to anything or anybody!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhQTb_iVuiI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnRXDj_LxTk