Kia ora e te whānau,

As we step into spring, it feels like the right moment to take stock and share some of the mahi we’ve been carrying together. This season brings both challenges and milestones worth celebrating and we’re glad to share a few of them with you.

Our 3G Shutdown Community Impact Report is now available. It details the serious risks facing those who will be most affected when 3G turns off, sharing stories of unfair treatment, financial strain and deep concern about what lies ahead. These findings come directly from DECA’s surveys, hui, and one-on-one kōrero with community members.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who shared their experiences. Your voices underline how urgent it is that industry steps up with affordable pathways, responsible retail practices, and clear, co-created communication to protect those at risk of being left behind.

Read the full report here: digitalequity.nz/resources-content/3g-impact-report

Ngā mihi nui to everyone who got in behind the very first No Tech Day back in August. Together our digital equity messaging reached over 450,000 people across Aotearoa, not bad for a first shot! We’ll have a bigger wrap-up for you in the next pānui, watch this space.

It’s been heartening to watch so many in our Digital Equity eco-system deliver their submissions to the Education and Workforce Committee’s inquiry into the harm young New Zealanders encounter online, and the roles that Government, business, and society should play in addressing those harms. The calibre of the kōrero has been well-researched and full of important learnings.

On Monday 6th September, DECA’s Co-Chair Kris Dempster-Rivett will be delivering our message to the Committee, bringing the community voice to the table. Our written submission is here and Kris’s upcoming oral submission will highlight perspectives from our communities. Our take in a nutshell: meaningful solutions to online harm must be built on a foundation of digital inclusion.

This month we also celebrate Recycle A Device’s 5th birthday, what an incredible milestone. Well done team RAD. As a birthday prezzie, you could chat to the IT team at your workplace and see where your e-waste ends up, it could be going into the hands of people in need. Check out the special Shining a Light interview with Kelsey Hallahan and Bronwyn Scott below.

As always, all our mahi relies on the strength of our community of advocates, partners and champions for digital equity. Real impact happens when we work side by side.

Ngā mihi nui,

The DECA Team

News, Tools and Further Reading

• The government aims to introduce digital driver licences by the end of the year. But are they safe - and will everyone have to use them?

• University of Auckland professor Paul Kilmartin has made it to the age of 63 without a mobile phone - and he's determined to keep it that way.

• Grey Power is calling on central and local government leaders to continue improving policies that impact seniors, including accessible healthcare, safe and suitable housing, transport, fair cost of living, digital inclusion and preparedness for emergencies.

• As populations age across the Asia-Pacific, policymakers, researchers and industry experts gathered in Incheon for an APEC policy workshop focused on bridging the digital divide for older adults. Hosted by Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT, the dialogue spotlighted rising inequality in digital access and called for inclusive technology policies that support aging societies.

• Canterbury University Associate Professor of Digital Education Kathryn MacCallum said children needed to start learning about AI before year 13.

  "Why does it sit at year 13 and why aren't we doing this a lot earlier. It misses the point that a lot of students and even younger are engaging with AI.

• Te Taura Ora o Waiariki, Iwi Māori Partnership Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Urukahinga Rei (Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi) as Kaitātari, a role dedicated to strengthening data capability and ensuring Te Arawa whānau voices are paired with robust evidence to support better health outcomes.

• On 1 September 2025, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in collaboration with Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space & Technology Commission, unveiled a landmark initiative: the Connecting Humanity Action Blueprint, a global strategy aiming to deliver universal, meaningful Internet access by 2030. The comprehensive plan estimates an investment of USD 2.6 trillion to 2.8 trillion, underscoring the scale and urgency of bridging the digital divide. 

• “Regionally, I feel like digital rights aren’t doing super great, to be honest,” shares Yucca from Exile Hub, which supports human rights defenders, journalists and activists in Myanmar and Southeast Asia. "I think part of the issues that we have is how vulnerable people are to creeping authoritarianism," she explains, describing the growing strength of authoritarianism and how state powers exploit digital tools. She wishes that those organised to defend people and their rights had the means to be as efficient as these state powers are.

• SeeMePlease founder and chief executive Katie McDermott has a simple proposition: if you design for the edge cases then everyone benefits.

  Her company’s user testing platform brings in perspectives that are often left out of the digital design process – people who are blind, deaf, neurodivergent, older than 70, or navigating English as a second language. “Instead of parking those edge cases … if you prioritise those insights, you’ve designed for everyone,” Ms McDermott told InnovationAus on the Commercial Disco podcast.