New Zealand Oil and Gas (NZOG) has been named best online communicator among New Zealand's top 50 listed companies, in the Wired Best Investor Website Awards.
NZOG climbed five places on its 2008 result, to score 88 out of 100.
Second-equal were Auckland International Airport and Port of Tauranga on 84 points.
Wired usability consultant and polytech lecturer Bruce Russell says NZOG did everything right.
"They understand the needs of investors and how to communicate that clearly. "
"It just looks good, as soon as you look at their home page you can understand immediately what their business is."
Overall, judges found that the standard of websites for leading companies was lifting although some companies are being left behind.
Trailing the field is Ebos Group on 36 points, Michael Hill International on 41 and Mainfreight on 47.
"The wooden spoon goes to Ebos. The startling thing about the Ebos site....is that you look at their homepage and frankly you would have to be psychic to know what business they are in," Russell says.
Sixteen NZX50 sites have been completely redesigned this year, up from 10 in 2008, while a further 10 had their navigation and/or graphic 'look and feel' revised.
"The good news is that of those 16, more than two thirds were
actually better as a result of that money being spent," Russell
says.
"This shows New Zealand's leading listed companies are taking
online IR more seriously. Even with the economy in recession they
see spending money online as a sound investment for future
growth."
The survey is conducted by Wired Internet Group and Russell, and is endorsed by NZX.
