Annual Report and Business Plan 1999-2000 - Business.govt.nz

1999/2000 Outlook
The past year has seen immense change in the Companies Office. One is tempted to spend the 1999/2000 year
simply consolidating our successes. However consolidation is not an option. Complacency and stagnation must be
avoided. Instead there must be a committed drive towards continual achievement both as a business registry and
a corporate regulator.
As this report goes to print, the Companies Office has been announced as the winner of the inaugural KPMG
Innovation Award. The judges said of our entry, "The Companies Office on-line service is a leading-edge introduction
of e-commerce to New Zealand companies, achieved with remarkable efficiency in an area where digitisation can
be fraught with risk." The success already achieved will continue to act as an impetus towards further developments.
Innovation
The coming year will see more innovations from the Companies Office. Principal amongst these will be the introduction
of on-line filing of annual returns - dramatically simplifying interaction with the Companies Office. A further groundbreaking
first will be the introduction of a "real-time" online credit card payment system. The system, using 128bit
encryption, will be the fastest, most secure and simplest form of electronic payment in New Zealand.
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Client Support
Following on from the national on-line services team of last year, client support will be further enhanced this year
with the progressive development of client "account managers." We recognise that the Companies Office has an
enormous variety of clients, all with different needs. To meet these needs we will initiate a pilot program for key
clients in Auckland and Wellington. The role of the account managers will be to provide a liaison point for
communicating developments within the Companies Office and acting upon client issues and concerns.
Client Service
The telephone remains one of our most important communication tools. Speedy, high-quality advice and information
is one of the standards by which we are judged, and the telephone is one of the best means to meet this expectation.
Accordingly, a national free-phone call centre will be set up during the year, providing identical access to Companies
Office services for clients from any part of the country.
Enforcement
Having established a central enforcement unit at the end of last year, early success in enforcement matters will
be a priority for the Office. Issues related to public confidence in investment schemes will continue to be a high
priority. Similarly, we will re-assert our commitment to ensuring that delinquent directors are quickly identified
and addressed through the powers of the Companies Act.
Conclusion
Public sector reforms over the past decade have justifiably heightened service expectations from government
agencies. It is an expectation that I welcome and one that can only be fulfilled by identifiable achievements in
addressing key needs. This business plan, therefore, seeks to highlight those needs. The measurement of our success
in meeting those needs remains in the hands of our clients.