In April, the Digital Equity Coalition Aotearoa (DECA) reached out to government ministers with an urgent plea: prioritise affordable internet access for all New Zealanders.

The letter highlighted the critical nature of affordable connectivity and called for a collaborative, whole-of-government approach to tackle the digital inequities impacting many New Zealanders.

DECA pointed ministers to the Affordable Connectivity Report, underscoring the urgency and importance of the issue.

DECA’s Appeal: A Unified Approach to Digital Equity - Read our letter to Minister Stanford here

The Minister's Response:

DECA’s Follow-Up: A Commitment to Sustainable Solutions

Kris Dempster-Rivett, DECA co-chair, replied to the Minister’s letter with gratitude and a proposal for further action. In his email, he expressed appreciation for the Minister's response and the additional funding for the administration of the EDOS initiative. However, he raised a concern:

Date: 17 Jun 2024, 07:47

Subject:Re: ESC2100 | Urgent Action Needed: Achieving Affordable Connectivity for All New Zealanders (Letter Enclosed and Meeting Request)

Kia ora Minister Stanford,

Thank you for taking the time to reply to our email, letter, and research around affordable connectivity. Also, thank you for actioning the additional funding to enable the administration to happen for EDOS.

My one concern with this model is that it is not addressing the root cause and is technically the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff as these households come off the MoE funded initiative. The funding of the EDOS model is facilitating the opt out of the households who choose, or cannot, pay the $4 per week | $17 per month.

Whilst I know the solution is not as simple as throwing money at a problem, I believe the work the MoE has done over the past 4 years can be used to develop a more sustainable model, but we need some cross-government agency collaboration, in particular MSD and DIA, to be present at the table.

My offer to you is for DECA (and its community) to design and build a sustainable solution with these government agencies for those in most need.

I understand you have many plates spinning, but I don’t want to lose the momentum the MoE has maintained around connectivity.

Tautoko the action you have taken with funding and I don’t want to waste the opportunity we have whilst we have these whānau on the internet connectivity waka."

Mā te wā 

Kris

DECA - Co-Chair

Moving Forward

DECA will continue to push the government to recognise that solving the affordable connectivity issue requires more than a one-off payment and demands sustainable, long-term solutions. DECA welcomes community feedback on any experiences in accessing support when the EDOS service ends.