NZ inches up e-ranking

By PETER GRIFFIN IT writer

New Zealand is edging up the global ranks in terms of "e-readiness", according to a survey by The Economist magazine, but it still trails Australia.

The magazine's intelligence unit ranked New Zealand 18th out of 60 countries in a measure of how acceptableeach country's business environment was to internet-based commercial activity. The ranking equated to an "e-readiness" score of 7.67 out of 10.

Last year's rankings sparked an indignant response from Information Technology Minister Paul Swain. He challenged the accuracy of the survey when it ranked New Zealand in 20th place, barely in the top third.

At the time, Swain said levels of business and internet usage in New Zealand were similar to Australia, if not slightly higher.

Last year Australia finished in second place behind the United States. This year it has slipped to sixth place, swapping rankings with the Netherlands.

Swain wrote to the Economist's editor seeking clarification of the survey's methodology.

The Economist noted that for the latest results, its methodology had "grown in sophistication".

The magazine said it had shifted "away from the dotcom era's emphasis on e-commerce to the new imperatives of corporate efficiency, security and global connectivity".

And although the United States and northern Europe dominated the top 10 rankings, there were a few surprise omissions, showing that all regions had their standouts and laggards.

Korea, the country with the world's highest broadband penetration and most advanced mobile networks, languished in 21st place, while its hi-tech neighbour Japan sat at 25 with a mark of 6.86 out of 10.

Venezuela jumped in the rankings from 47th to 37th place. The 20 most e-ready nations:

US 1, Netherlands 2, Britain 3, Switzerland and Sweden equal 4, Australia 6, Denmark 7, Germany 8, Canada 9, Finland 10, Singapore and Norway equal 11, Hong Kong 13, Austria 14, Ireland 15, Belgium 16, France 17, New Zealand 18, Italy 19, Taiwan 20.

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