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It appears that the NZ Film Commission has decided to hire an Australian web design company to build its website because they feel that no NZ designers truly understand what they're trying to achieve.

Well I bet there are more than a few Kiwi web designers who'd take issue with the implication that our Aussie mates are better at understanding and interpreting a customer's needs and wants.

There can be no doubt that The Commission's existing website is pretty tragic but I strongly doubt their claims that Kiwis aren't up to the job of building a better one.

If I heard correctly last night, the Australian company that's been chosen to create a replacement is Brainwave Interactive who also built the Australian Film Commission site.

The AFC's website is okay, and certainly a whole lot better than the NZFC's one, but I've seen many locally produced websites that are *better*.

As an organisation charged with fostering the creativity of Kiwi film-makers, you'd have thought that The NZ Film Commission could have tried a little harder to find some local talent rather than just hiring from across the ditch.

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On the other hand, it's probably not that surprising -- especially when you consider that, despite the fact that content such as video and audio now make up an increasingly large slice of the online content pie, nothing on the Web is eligible for NZ ON Air funding.

That's right, the government is happy to fund all manner of locally produced television and radio content -- but seems to actively discriminate against any material that is primarily delivered over the net.

It would almost appear as if there's a belief in the halls of power that when you mix Kiwis and the internet you get a space that's totally devoid of any useful creativity.

As far as our web designers go, I *know* that we have a world-class community of very talented people, many of who can regularly be found building websites for a long list of overseas customers -- even Australian companies!

So perhaps what the NZ Film Commission are actually saying is "We're basically a bunch of lazy sods who really can't be bothered locating a Kiwi company to build a world-standard website for us so we're just going to do what our Australian peers did".

Well thanks for the patriotism and support of hard working Kiwis.

But hang on a moment...

Haven't fairly significant numbers of NZ's best and brightest skipped the ditch to Australia in recent times?

My apologies to The Commission -- it's obvious now that their stance isn't so much a condemnation of the local web design industry as an acknowledgement that the government's incompetence in fostering a knowledge-based economy here means there are now probably more Kiwi web designers working in Australia than there are here.

Perhaps the blame should be laid fairly and squarely at the government's door?

Despite this exodus however, I'm sure there are still enough good designers here in NZ that it wasn't *really* necessary to go off-shore.

So come on NZ Film Commission, get off your fat bums and look properly!

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