Ministry of Social Development(MIS100 2010)

By Jess Meyer | Thursday, May 27 2010

2009 ranking: 7

Senior IS executive: David Habershon, CIO
Reports to: Deputy chief executive — people, capability and resources
Size of IS shop: 340

PCs: 12,500
Mobile PCs: 600
Terminals: 900
Hand-held devices: 120
Total screens: 14,120

Industry: Government and defence
PC environment: Windows 2000, XP, Vista; Dell; Compaq; Acer; IBM
Server environment: HP; Unisys; Sun; Windows 2000, NT; MCP; Linux
DBMS: Oracle, DMS2, SQL
Address: Bowen State Building, 32 Bowen Street, Wellington
Website: www.msd.govt.nz
Key IS projects this year: Maximising StudyLink’s online investment; CYF system changes; IAP infrastructure upgrade; Work and Income online services; core client migration; collections and compliance; HRIS; Work and Income digitisation; Investigation management system; regional rollout of XP and Vista; Change in Circumstances; voicemail platform upgrade.


The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) is the government’s lead provider of policy advice and services in respect of children and young people, working age people, older people, families, whānau and communities. Throughout the country there are approximately 300 sites providing services to more than 1.1 million clients.

CIO David Habershon’s IT team of 340 will focus attention on several key IT priorities this year, that include supporting and enabling the MSD’s clients through the use of effective technology, while reducing overheads and operating costs. A number of improvements have been made to direct service delivery, providing a strong platform for further enhancement. “We continue to introduce a range of online solutions to improve our services to clients while reducing costs. This moves a lot of transactional activity online, so frontline staff are freed up to work more intensively with clients and their families,” he says.

The IT team will implement key technologies to complete several business objectives, including maximising the investments made in StudyLink’s online functionality, implementing CYF system changes, an IAP infrastructure upgrade, core client migration, development of Work and Income online services and digitisation, a regional rollout of Windows XP and Vista, and more.

Specifically, new online functionality will be complemented with significant improvements to current systems that support the work of frontline staff. Over the course of the year, systems will be progressively implemented, such as an enhanced voice service, including a range of improved client self-service and assisted service options; and a digitisation solution to manage client information better by creating a complete client file that is available electronically through a single point of entry.

An electronic payment card system has already been successfully implemented, which has significantly automated transaction processing in the delivery of third-tier assistance (special needs grants). Development of the MSD’s core client management system will continue through a data migration project, while the introduction of a new human resources information system is expected to enhance the Ministry’s corporate capabilities.

A server and desktop infrastructure refresh programme will progress to the regional offices of the Ministry, with upgrades to the underlying infrastructure of the MSD’s data warehouse and voicemail platform also to be undertaken this year.