Welcome to the August edition of our new monthly update on what’s happening in the DECA world.  Much of this happens behind the scenes, some initiatives take weeks or months to get off the ground and we are conscious we are often heads down doing the mahi and forget to share. 

What we’ve been up to

• Affordable Connectivity - with the government funding ceasing on Equitable Digital Access (Ministry of Education affordable connectivity funding) we have been working with Telco’s, ISP’s, RSP’s (retail service providers), community providers, community support organisations, charities, education organisations and others across the system helping to shape up what’s next after EDA? We are exploring innovative strategies to ensure that vulnerable whānau continue to have access to affordable internet connectivity. Stay tuned for more details on our collaborative efforts and potential solutions in the coming months.

• Rangatahi-led kaupapa and mahi - we have also been working behind the scenes to establish a framework for rangatahi-led mahi, with the support of our wonderful philanthropic funders who are committed to investing in rangatahi kaupapa through DECA.

• Zero Data - the regional mahi coordinating getting the message out to those who could benefit from free access to essentially Government websites on their mobile phones, is continuing. By eliminating data charges agencies are hoping to make it easier for citizens to access their services which will become increasingly important with the new government mandate to digitize government. 

  If you want to share Zero data information with your community you can find a set of resources here. https://www.digitalequity.nz/resources-content/zero-data-poster-and-social-share-images
  

Upcoming Activities

• Mapping the ecosystem - everyone reading this knows we have a widely varied community of organisations focusing on closing the digital divide, supporting the vulnerable and working across the MASTS spectrum (motivation, access, skills, trust and security). By mapping the ecosystem against these and other dimensions (geographical, targeted areas of support) we will all be in a stronger position to identify points of collaboration and see where there are gaps in our service provision. 

• Research catalogue - in September we will be kicking off a project to continue cataloguing domestic and international research in the digital equity space and adding this to the current list in our resource hub. Our plan for this is threefold - understand the research topology in Aotearoa so we can identify where the gaps are; identify international research New Zealand initiatives can reference in funding applications and information sharing; and identify international research we should consider commissioning in a New Zealand context. https://www.digitalequity.nz/resources-content/tag/Research%2FReports

Shining a light

Every month we plan to shine a light on an initiative from the DECA community - an organisation or a project, something starting up or drawing to a close. If you have something to share with our community we can showcase it here. To do this you can either write up a blog post about your initiative or we can interview your team creating an engaging conversation to help others understand your impact and space. To share your stories you can email kiaora@digitalequity.nz

Next month we will be shining a light on a Social Impact ISP which is in the establishment phase and looking to pilot in Te Tai Tokerau.