5206 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Prime Minister

5206 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Prime Minister: 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?

Rt Hon Christopher Luxon: In my capacity as Prime Minister, I am the responsible minister for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC). I am advised that as at 17 December 2025, DPMC's Centralised Web Accessibility Checker (CWAC) score is 79 (with 100 being the lowest possible score). I am advised that agencies are encouraged by the Government Chief Digital Officer to work toward achieving a CWAC score of 0 by December 2030. DPMC has initiated a work plan to improve accessibility, including reviewing all website content using the scanning tool Site Improve. I am advised that accessibility improvements include looking at colour use, alternative text for images, nested headings, and making tables and documents available in HTML. DPMC is aiming to address the less complex technical changes by the end of June 2026, with the longer-term content changes and across-agency staff training in accessible web publishing being an iterative process. DPMC is also looking at how far back it needs to go to remediate legacy content on its website, which has historical value, but will be resource intensive to remediate.