This Bill amends the Public Finance Act 1989 and the Crown Entities Act 2004 to enable public organisations to meet statutory reporting requirements in electronic form.

Public organisations in New Zealand have stringent reporting and accountability requirements. Most are required to produce an annual report, a statement of intent, and a statement of performance expectations. These are vital documents in terms of accountability and scrutiny but have a small readership. There is considerable expense involved in producing glossy publications, most copies of which go unopened. In the digital age, it is an anachronism to require printed copies of these documents.

This Bill allows all reporting and accountability requirements under the two Acts to be met electronically.