New Zealand government releases Web Guidelines Plone instance

Plone is gaining ground in New Zealand government circles. A recent announcement from the agency leading the e-government effort “means that other government agencies can use this code to build and manage their websites knowing that they are using best practice accessibility standards.”

The State Services Commission – which oversees the e-government programme in New Zealand - has recently announced an instance of Plone 2.0.5 that will be made freely available to central and local government agencies. The code base includes a number of modified accessibility aids required by the New Zealand Government Web Guidelines, some required page elements, a basic skin and support for HTML4.01 – which the Guidelines require for delivery to end users.

The code base and installation instructions are available from the website of 3months.com – a Wellington-based company that developed the Guidelines compliant code and the recently launched sites using it.

In New Zealand, Plone is currently used by www.e.govt.nz, www.mwa.govt.nz, www.electricitycommission.govt.nz and www.learningmedia.co.nz with a number of other government agencies already expressing interest.