High-tech goods and services from New Zealand’s ICT sector are worth almost $23 billion, Statistics New Zealand said today.

While this marks a $3 billion increase over just two years, one of the underlying stories is that more and more goods these days count as ‘information and communication technology’.

Today, high-tech goods include much more than just computers and smartphones, and perhaps the most subtle changes can be found in the home.

Many common devices are now intelligent machines: washing machines and driers, Blu-ray players and TVs, even our toasters and kettles are now driven by smart technology.

“The challenge is to keep pace with how quickly the definitions and perceptions of these technologies change,” says Hamish Hill, ICT manager, reacting to the ICT Supply Survey 2012.

“Each time we’ve run this survey, we’ve had to include more businesses from increasingly diverse industries.

"We're seeing new smart products and online services being offered all the time.”

This said, the traditional areas of ICT continue to grow.

New Zealand businesses received $5.8 billion in computer and phone sales in the 2012 year; $800 million more than two years ago. While sales of internet connections also rose sharply, up 44% to $1.3 billion.

“Some of this may appear contrary to expectations, since the cost of many of these high-tech goods have gone down over the same period," Hill says.

"The fact is, more people are buying these items and getting connected. They have become a necessary part of life."