The Companies Office, a unit of the Ministry of Economic Development in New Zealand, has launched a new website, based on ‘Open Source’ software.
It is only the third government department to do so. It is the first government department of the ‘top five’ government sites in New Zealand by number of visitors. The product being used by the Ministry is ‘Plone’, one of the most commonly used Open Source systems for managing website content. It provides an easy, attractive installation that gives a professional system without the numerous downsides of commercial packages. Notable users of Plone include NASA, Government of Hawaii, Lufthansa, and University College London. The other government departments and agencies currently using Plone are the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the e-Government Unit, and the Electricity Commission.
