Big savings through Microsoft deal THE New Zealand government has struck a deal with Microsoft which, it says, will save $NZ119 million ($A99.21 million) over three years. NZ Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain says it has already saved $NZ35m. The computer software purchasing agreement involves more than 140 government agencies and, Mr Tremain says, the licensing model is attracting attention internationally. "The agreement allows agencies to make available their surplus licences for transfer to other agencies, so rather than investing in new licences each time, an agency can use licences from the government's shared pool," he said on Monday. The next phase will involve similar framework agreements with other major software vendors.