Session
Organizer 1: Ellen Strickland, Internet New Zealand
Speaker 1: Ellen Strickland, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Jordan Carter, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Marianne Elliott, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Ellen Strickland
Ellen Strickland
Ellen Strickland
Flash Session - 30 Min
Dr Ellen Strickland, Policy Director at InternetNZ, will speak on the work around Digital Divides being led by InternetNZ, working collaboratively with the Internet Community in New Zealand. Marianne Elliott, a New Zealand community researcher and advocate, will present on recent research on digital exclusion which is being done collaboratively by the Internet Community.
Jordan Carter Chief Executive at InternetNZ, will speak about the New Zealand government work on Digital Inclusion, as a member of the newly established Digital Economy and Digital Inclusion Ministerial Advisory Group. The purpose of the Group is to bring together innovators, leading thinkers and actors from central and local government, non-governmental organisations, Māoridom, industry, and community groups to advise government on how it can best meet its objectives to grow the digital economy and reduce digital divides, so that all New Zealanders and New Zealand businesses can benefit from digital technologies.
As a flash session and case study, this session is not geographically diverse in nature.
New Zealand has high rates of access to the Internet but a range of factors create digital divides that still prevent a significant minority of New Zealanders from benefitting from the Internet. This session will provide a case study of the current multistakeholder approach being taken to tackling these digital divides in New Zealand.
InternetNZ has made a call for universal access in New Zealand, and this session will discuss how we are working towards this through collaboration across sectors. This session will also discuss the new work by the New Zealand government to close digital divides by 2020, including through a multistakeholder ministerial advisory group.
We can plan to speak for 20 minutes and then facilitate questions and discussion on the aspects of defining, understanding and addressing digital divides in New Zealand, if that is possible. Or can speak for 30 minutes if discussion/questions not possible in this session type.
Solving digital divides to ensure all people can benefit from the Internet remains an enduring challenge. This session proposes sharing the recent multistakeholder approach being undertaken in New Zealand by civil society, government and others, to define, understand and close digital divides.
The session can have a dedicated online participation contact person for questions, if that is possible, as well as remote viewing of the session.