What is the current level of compliance, if any, within the Minister’s departments, agencies, crown entities and any other bodies that the Minister is responsible for, if any, with NZ Government Web Standards, which require public sector websites to be accessible?

Answer

I am advised by Te Puni Kōkiri that the accessibility of its publicly facing websites is currently under active review as part of an ongoing programme to update and improve digital services, including accessibility. The Ministry’s websites were developed to meet the relevant accessibility requirements that applied at the time of their creation, including the World Wide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/) and the New Zealand Government Web Standards. Since that time, accessibility standards and Government expectations have been revised, and some aspects of the Ministry’s websites do not yet fully meet the current standards. I am further advised that Te Puni Kōkiri has a plan in place to address identified accessibility gaps and to progressively lift compliance with the current NZ Government Web Standards (https://www.digital.govt.nz/standards-and-guidance/nz-government-web-standards), in line with Government expectations.