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Abstract: Late in 2006, New Zealand's State Services Commission (SSC) confronted the challenge of dramatically improving online citizen access to government services and information. Implementing such an upgraded "e-government" service was far from a simple matter, however. Evidence was building that some form of central direction, even the mandating used in some other countries, should be introduced. But such an approach was dramatically at odds with a culture of decentralization which gave agencies considerable autonomy to decide how they achieved the results for which they were accountable. This case allows for exploration of the issues raised by the political imperative to simplify and standardize online access without undermining the independence of the delivery agencies. It also encourages discussion of the ways in which a central agency might establish relationships and structures to encourage a coordinated e-government effort.