Kia ora e te whānau

Phew, It’s been a busy few weeks watching the Commerce Commission, Consumer NZ and NZ Compare give some pretty strong feedback to our telcos. If you haven’t caught up on the details, check out our latest blog where we share our aligned call for transparency in internet billing and data usage.

This week, Stats NZ opened public consultation on the future of the Census, including how we measure digital access and connection. The review will shape how information about our people, homes and communities is collected and used. It’s a rare chance to make sure the voices of our communities, especially those often left out of data and decisions, are visible in the national picture.

We’ve outlined where in the Stats consultation DECA will weigh in and we welcome your voice help shape our feedback.

Behind the scenes, the DECA team is working on Kaunuku, a Digital Inclusion Data Collection and Indexing Framework for Aotearoa.

Kaunuku is groundbreaking. It takes a tikanga Māori-grounded approach, based on extensive academic research and international evidence, and shaped by Aotearoa-based case studies, to map digital inclusion across communities and guide action where support is most needed.

It’s not quite ready yet, but we’re deeply grateful to Elle Archer for entrusting this taonga to DECA as we continue to shape and test it alongside our partners and communities.

We’re stoked to see our community digital navigation network growing, with more local connectors joining the kaupapa. Their support will be vital as we head into the 3G turn-off and the phase-out of copper services, changes that will heavily affect our most vulnerable whānau.

Kaunuku, the Census, and trusted community connections all work together. Each plays a different role in building the picture of digital inclusion in Aotearoa. By combining solid data with local knowledge, we can better see where the gaps are and focus our efforts where they matter most.

We’d love to hear from organisations keen to collaborate, share data or support local digital navigation mahi. Contact our team on kiaora@digitalequity.nz

• Toi Pōneke Arts Centre, in partnership with Tuatahi Creatives and Massey University, has launched a new initiative to empower young people to explore digital art and design

• "The ultimate goal is for RAD to not exist - but demand is there, and it's growing." Recycle A Device sets five-year plan to close digital divide for young people

• Internet money for rural Americans is gone. FAQ on the now cancelled Digital Equity Act in the USA.

• The Divide: Paolo Balboa on NYC's road to achieving digital equity

• In 2025, Africa’s mobile economy is worth $220 billion, representing 7.7% of the continent’s GDP. These figures are more than statistics: they tell the story of a continent where the mobile phone has become much more than a communication tool. Today, it is a driver of development and a passport to digital and social inclusion.

• A new report by Vodafone, A Bridge Across Communities, finds that Europe’s entrenched digital divide - from gaps in skills and coverage to unequal access to devices and digital public services - is now a strategic vulnerability for the continent’s economy, society, and democratic resilience.
  

• Baked in, not bolted on: Aussie authorities embedding digital inclusion. This virtual event showcases inspiring examples of councils weaving digital inclusion into services, research, and community support in diverse and practical ways - such as Hull City Council's adult social care services baking in digital inclusion, through to Cornwall Council with Plymouth University improving their understanding of local digital inclusion needs.

• OpenAI Foundation to fund global health and AI safety projects
  

• Aussies Federal Govt rules out changing copyright law to give AI companies free rein