Kia ora e te whānau,

As Matariki rose, so did the momentum. June brought connection, celebration and big conversations about our digital future.

Earlier this month, the DECA team were privileged to attend the Matihiko Awards in Ōtautahi. What a night! Huge round of applause to the Te Hapori Matihiko crew for hosting such a beautiful event and congratulations to all the nominees and winners. A special shoutout to everyone whose mahi is dedicated to closing the digital divide.

An extra special nod of our pōtae to Potaua from Digital Natives Academy for championing No Tech Day from the stage. Ngā mihi e hoa! You can find out more about the movement here: www.notechday.nz

We know that one of the biggest kōrero in our network right now is the upcoming 3G shutdown. Many of you have told us that the communities you work with may be at risk of disconnection. We want to understand how best to support you, so please take a few minutes to fill out our 3G Shutdown and Digital Access Survey. This goes beyond 3G: we’re also asking about the other digital barriers your communities are facing.

Using the insights gathered from that survey, we’ve invited DECA friend Craig Young from TUANZ to join us for a special 3G Shutdown Community Hui, hosted by Vic MacLennan. We’ll be digging into what the shutdown means and what support is needed for those most in need. Join us on Tuesday 23 July, 12PM.

We’d love to see you there.

Ngā mihi nui,

The DECA Team

News, Tools and Further Reading

• Hundreds of South Canterbury households could benefit from affordable fibre.

• New Zealand climbs global digital ranking but equity lags. The Digital Government Index (DGI) benchmarks individual government agencies and departments on their delivery of functional and inclusive digital services. The 2024 results show New Zealand's overall score increased to 66.5 out of 100, representing an 11.6 per cent rise from its 2023 ranking and a 14.7 per cent lift from the inaugural 2022 assessment. This improvement moves New Zealand into the Intermediate maturity category, alongside all other countries in the study. The increase is largely attributed to a 14 per cent improvement in Customer Experience, which was the highest-rated globally, and a 13 per cent rise in Site Performance. However, the Digital Equity dimension saw only a 7 per cent increase, suggesting more work is needed to ensure equal access to services for all citizens.

• Seniors have entered the chat. In a world that’s more digital than ever, it’s easy to feel left behind - especially if you didn’t grow up with smartphones, laptops, or know how to safely navigate social media and all the digital noise around us.

  But in South Auckland, a group of local seniors is flipping the script, thanks to the support of the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board.

• A National Approach to Digital Inclusion. Our mates across the ditch at ADIA have released a paper outlining why it’s time for Australia to take the necessary steps to implement its own national approach based on accountability, coordination and action, providing leadership to enable better policy design and cross-sector implementation that delivers outcomes at scale

• Young techies tackle digital divide through hands-on learning at Te Kura o Takaro. A collaboration between Palmerston North City Library and Massey’s Children’s University programme is giving young learners the chance to boost their digital literacy skills while also helping others in their community.

• Many Grant-Based Microsoft 365 Licenses Are Ending. Starting July 1, Microsoft will end its donation-based licenses for Microsoft 365 Business Premium and Office 365 E1.

• Global Action Needed As Progress Stalls On Disability-Inclusive Development Goals. “The message is stark: persons with disabilities face higher poverty, greater unemployment, deeper food and health insecurity and more limited access to education, jobs, and digital technologies,” said Amina Mohammed.

• Social investment is not the solution to ending child poverty in Aotearoa.

• Record 17,000 women join SheHacks 2025 digital skills drive