CLOSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE - WHAT IS ALREADY BEING DONE?

Introduction

1. On 26 June 2000, Cabinet confirmed the following vision for the "social and economic inclusion and ICT" (aka closing the digital divide) area of work that had been agreed by the Cabinet Economic Development Committee on 21 June:

   All New Zealanders, either as individuals or as members of communities, have the opportunity to access and effectively use current and emerging information and communications technologies. This will enable individuals and communities to participate fully in the economic, social, educational, cultural and democratic opportunities available in an information society.

2. By agreeing to this vision, the Government has established a signpost for where they want to see New Zealand heading. However, this should not be taken to imply that we are "starting from zero". Many New Zealanders already make good use of ICTs to avail themselves of the opportunities available. The extent to which this is true of the population as a whole and for particular population subgroups is being examined in a companion stocktake (What do we know about the digital divide in New Zealand?).

3. Similarly, the central government sector has already begun to implement policies that can be expected to have either a direct or indirect impact on the digital divide. In addition, a number of policies announced in this year's Budget will also contribute to closing the digital divide. Likewise, there are already a number of local government, community and voluntary sector and private sector initiatives under way that will contribute to closing the digital divide.

4. The purpose of this stocktake is to determine the starting point for policy development, by mapping the existing environment. The stocktake is reasonably comprehensive in terms of the initiatives being undertaken by central government departments, but should be considered partial and indicative only for other sectors.

Summary of central government policies and programmes

5. The inter-departmental digital divide working group comprises representatives from a wide range of central government agencies. Between them, these agencies are responsible for a large number of policy initiatives that may contribute to closing the digital divide. The following table summarises what central government agencies are already doing that might have the potential to contribute to a solution.

6. The following sections describe the policy initiatives in the above table in greater detail.

Department of Labour

Labour Market Policy Group

7. The Department of Labour is responsible for convening the inter-departmental working group that is looking at the issue of closing the digital divide. The Labour Market Policy Group of the Department has received additional funding of $2 million over four years, starting from 2001/02, to provide advice to Government on future work trends. One use of this funding is for ongoing work on the closing the digital divide.

8. As a first step towards improving the available research into the social and economic impacts of ICT, the Department has been an enthusiastic supporter of a research proposal by the University of Waikato to the Foundation of Research, Science and Technology to investigate the socio-economic impacts of ICT.

New Zealand Immigration Service

9. The New Zealand Immigration Service (NZIS) administers residence applications. Under the General Skills category, applicants are normally required to score a minimum of 10 points for their qualifications (equivalent to a base qualification such as a degree, diploma, or trade certificate with a minimum of 3 years training, study or work experience). Under an exception for IT specialists, principal residence applicants who are IT specialists may not hold qualifications of the standard required by General Skills Category policy and still be awarded 10 points if they:
   • have a minimum of 3 years' full-time work experience in their field of specialisation (this experience must not be counted towards points of work experience); and
   • can provide evidence of some formal training in their area of specialisation; and
   • hold a letter of support issued by the Information Technology Association of New Zealand (ITANZ), confirming that their skills are in short supply in New Zealand; and
   • hold an offer of employment in that particular filed of specialisation.

10. Principal applicants must meet all other requirements of the General Skills Category and obtain sufficient points to meet the pass mark applying at the time the application is made.

11. From 4 September the NZIS will be aligning its General Skills Category qualifications policy with the National Qualifications Framework. Under the new policy, General Skills applicants whose qualification does not appear on a List of Recognised Qualifications will be required to include a New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) full or interim assessment with their application.

12. An NZQA assessment of overseas qualifications will provide certainty to General Skills applicants that they will meet minimum requirements, before they lodge their residence application. The new system will also allow the recognition of a broader range of qualifications, as the points will be extended to include NQF levels that encompass trade and technical qualifications that currently fail to gain any points for qualifications.

13. Moving to an NQF-based system will also facilitate the recognition of overseas qualifications that have no direct New Zealand equivalent, often because the subject matter is not taught in New Zealand. The NZQA will be able to assess these for comparability despite there being no existing directly comparable New Zealand qualification. Points can, therefore, be awarded for qualifications which, having no direct New Zealand equivalent, are still potentially valuable. Assigning an NQF level to such qualifications will also assist migrants and employers to put the overseas qualification into the New Zealand context.

14. The Community Employment Group (CEG) works with disadvantaged communities to help them develop opportunities for positive activity, employment and self-sufficiency. CEG provides grant funding to community groups, and ongoing mentoring and support.

15. CEG does not have a formal IT strategy, but has several initiatives on the ground in direct response to community need. CEG is slowly building an information strategy from the ground up with the direct participation of community groups so that it accurately reflects a correct response to community need. This cautious approach is vital in an area where mistakes are expensive.

16. CEG's role in these IT projects ranges from fieldworker support and advice, to part funding of a computer, co-ordinator wages or training. The CEG approach has allowed community designed solutions to their specific employment or development barriers in a low cost way. However, CEG has been faced with a great deal of demand for technology from the community but has had only limited resources to meet a growing demand.

17. Many of these projects were initiated by the CEG Women's Strategy, begun in 1996. The strategy identified through staff, community and national consultation that access to technology was a vehicle for community members to increase confidence levels, improve their pre/employment related outcomes, and reduce isolation. The application of this strategy resulted in CEG embarking upon the development of series of interlinked pilot projects ie public access computer terminal development projects in conjunction with a telecentre. This provides communities with the ability to develop skills at the high and low ends of the IT sector while and also raising the skill base a base for the development of future community based telecentres.

18. The following are examples of CEG work since that time.
    1. Kapiti Telecentre: CEG technology has been involved in the research and set up of the first telecentre in New Zealand that opened in early 1999 in Kapiti (refer to later section on the Kapiti Telecentre for more detail).
    2. Community Access Computers: CEG has also piloted publicly accessible computers in community organisations (e.g. not used for the group's administration) in a comfortable and friendly environment with a self teach component across the country. To date, over 30 such computers have been set up around the country from Whangarei to Invercargill. Through Mahi-a-Iwi, CEG's work with Maori, and the Pacific strategy, similar projects have been set up in Auckland, Gisborne, Christchurch and the West Coast. CEG access computer projects have reported more participants than expected have taken risks and come to the centres to learn, with many staircased on to other training/personal development opportunities. Regional meetings are held in on an as-needed basis for public access providers to evaluate the development of the service.
    3. Technology Training: CEG has worked in partnership with many community groups to deliver technology training. These courses have the flexibility to deal with issues for participants such as childcare, financial and cultural appropriateness, self esteem, rural isolation and lack of transport. Most of the training courses are free and providers have ranged from Canterbury Rugby league to Shakti Asian Women to marae based, in fact anywhere people congregate and feel comfortable.
    4. Websites: CEG has been involved with several Web site projects, upskilling community members in development and maintenance. A major CEG project has been developing www.communities.org.nz, a structured directory in which any business or community group can create and maintain information about themselves and their websites. CEG has also supported cities and towns to create their individual tourist and information sites as in St Albans. CEG has also supported www.notjust.org.nz or Not Just Gumboots and Scones, a rural women's network in Otago and Southland. This organisation has also provided satellite training to rural women. Examples of other website initiatives involve partnerships with the Wise Women Network, a women's business network and Pasifikanet, a pacific website (in development).
    5. Flaxroots Conference: CEG, in partnership with the Department of Internal Affairs, hosted the Flaxroots Technology: Claiming the Internet for Community conference, attended by a large number of community groups. The e-mail group 'Community Networking New Zealand', set up by conference organisers, continues to stimulate information share and provide support to members.
    6. Other Projects: Other CEG IT projects on the ground include recycling computers to give to community groups in Christchurch ranging to allowing unemployed artists to have contact with state of the art design technology in Auckland, to working with young Maori, to developing a Maori computer game utilising transferable skills and culture.

19. The experience in the field suggests that the community requires both better access to technology and fast reliable internet service, and on-going skill development in respect to business computer use (such as formatting, spreadsheets and relational database use-age). This is supported by a survey of over 700 groups in the Wellington area performed by Outlook Resources Ltd. It is CEG experience that, for community, the first step towards Internet access for all begins with learning generic hard and software technology basics and the ability to afford or access fast frustration free equipment.

20. CEG field staff are equipped with laptops with the capacity to display new software development. They also encourage the use of e-mail by community groups where possible and pass on computer skills when appropriate. In this sense they offer a limited public access service.

Ministry of Economic Development

21. The Ministry of Economic Development (MED) originally brought the digital divide issue to the attention of the Minister for Information Technology in December 1999. While they have since handed over responsibility for leading the digital divide work to the Department of Labour, they continue to be closely involved in a number of relevant initiatives.

The Ministry's IT Policy Group

22. The IT Policy Group provides the Minister for Information Technology with advice on information technology issues as they affect the economy and society (the briefing in paragraph 21 above was prepared by the IT Policy Group). It also monitors overseas trends in technology policy and technology development.

23. The Group used to support the work of the now disestablished Information Technology Advisory Group (ITAG), a body comprised of private sector representatives, which advised the Minister for Information Technology on IT matters. ITAG developed the following draft information technology communications objectives:
    • All school students IT literate - ensure that every student leaves school with an understanding of IT, its uses and its potential.
    • IT courses available for all - ensure that every person who wishes to raise their level of IT skill to improve their career prospects has the opportunity to do so.
    • Access to the information superhighway for all - ensure that all citizens of New Zealand have the opportunity to access the widest possible range of information and are well placed to take advantage of the developing information infrastructure - nationally and globally.
    • Protection of individual rights in the information age - ensure that along with access to information, individuals' rights to: privacy, protection of intellectual property rights, and protection from unwanted information (pornography, advertisements etc) are maintained.
    • Access to quality IT for business - ensure that New Zealand business is aware of and has access to the best information and IT equipment, products and services to enable them to compete in a global marketplace.
    • Advice on IT for government - ensure that the impact of IT upon NZ society is understood and that a body of expertise is available for input into government, individual and business policy decision making.
    • Maximisation of New Zealand's international IT competitiveness - ensure that the NZ information and IT environment is internationally competitive and compatible with the predominant international standards.

E-commerce work programme

24. MED has responsibility for leading the e-commerce work programme. They have been developing an e-commerce strategy, in consultation with other agencies. This strategy will be presented at the E-commerce summit, which will be held in Auckland on 1 and 2 November. The strategy contains a number of suggested government initiatives in the areas of leadership, building capability, and ensuring an enabling regulatory environment. Some of these initiatives are also relevant to closing the digital divide, particularly in the area of building capability.

25. Launching the strategy at the E-commerce summit will be the start of an ongoing partnership between the Government and the private sector to build New Zealand's capability to compete in an e-commerce world. The strategy needs to continue to evolve and take account of new developments and demands. To ensure this takes place within a partnership between the Government and the private sector, it is proposed that an E-Commerce Action Team (ECAT) be established.

26. It is intended that ECAT would monitor and drive the strategy forward through an on-going consultative process, co-ordinate government and private sector efforts to promote e-commerce, identify a core research programme and provide advice to government. It would also be responsible for undertaking broader stakeholder consultation on a six monthly basis. Membership would be drawn from central and local government, business, academia, trade unions, Maori and community organisations as appropriate.

27. It is proposed that ECAT be operational from March 2001 and that it report quarterly to the Government on progress on further developing and implementing the strategy. It is proposed that a small group comprising officials and members of the private sector be established to recommend to Government the membership and terms of reference of ECAT and that the group report by December 2000.

Ministerial Inquiry into Telecommunications

28. In February 2000, the Government announced the terms of reference and membership of a three-person Ministerial Inquiry into Telecommunications (MIT). The MIT released an issues paper in April 2000, on which it invited written submissions. A draft report was released in late June 2000. The draft report said that it is critical that changes are made to the current regulatory regime if New Zealand is to move quickly to an information economy. The MIT proposed the following approach:
    • an emphasis on commercial negotiation;
    • a preference for industry self-regulation, focused through the establishment of an Electronic Communications Industry Forum;
    • the establishment of a stand-alone regulator - the Electronic Communications Commissioner - to regulate the industry where necessary;
    • a list of regulated ("designated") services, which would require a provider of such a service to supply it to others at an efficient price and in a timely way. The initial list of services would be recommended by the Inquiry;
    • power for the Commissioner to quickly resolve any disputes over designated services;
    • a better-defined "Kiwi Share" service obligation, embodied in legislation, which will maintain an unlimited free local call service for voice and low-speed data calls; and
    • an Information Society Initiative to facilitate full participation by New Zealanders in the information economy.

29. Following on from the draft report, the MIT has been receiving written submissions and holding hearings with interested parties. The Inquiry was required to make recommendations to the Minister of Communications by 29 September. The recommendations in the final report do not appear to be significantly different from those in the draft report. The Government will consider how best to respond to the Inquiry's recommendations over the next few months, although initial indications are that there will not be a separate telecommunications regulator.

Managing the radio spectrum

30. MED is responsible for managing the radio spectrum. The principal functions of the Radio Spectrum Management Group are:
    • provision of policy advice on radio spectrum matters, including legislation;
    • licencing and licence compliance;
    • resolution of interference;
    • strategic planning for future use of the radio spectrum;
    • representing New Zealand's position in the international co-ordination of radio spectrum use; and
    • the conversion of spectrum to the spectrum rights regime in preparation for the auctioning of that spectrum.

31. In relation to the last point, MED is currently running an auction of various management rights and spectrum licences over radio spectrum in the 2GHz band (spanning the frequency range 1710-2300 MHz). Part of this range (1920-1980 MHz) is capable of supporting two new and developing cellular mobile technologies, the so-called second and third generation (2G and 3G) technologies.

Tairawhiti ICT project

32. MED has been developing policy in the area of regional development, the major part of which is the Regional Partnership Programme (RPP). The RPP is a strategy for engaging with regions to assist them to address their capacity needs, and develop strategies for developing their regions.

33. Before the RPP was fully developed, the Government was approached by the East Coast region to participate in a Tairawhiti Development Taskforce. The Taskforce has conducted several meetings, and as part of the process, a number of areas of need have been identified. One area identified was ICT.

34. The response has been Project Rorohiko. A large number of second-hand computers were donated by the Department of Work & Income, and reconfigured by the 2020 Trust. While government departments seem to represent a promising source of second-hand computers, in approaching government departments, MED has identified some problems:
    • Government departments tend to throw away documentation, including software licences. Microsoft originally wanted to charge $200 per PC to relicence the second-hand government machines, but this was negotiated down to $12.
    • There seems to be confusion about government accounting practices, and whether or not it is acceptable to dispose of second-hand computers in this way.

35. An allocation model has been approved to determine how to spread the computers across East Coast Schools.

36. A further 260 computers have been allocated to "community hubs", community sites that can provide community ICT access and training. Expressions of interest to host a community hub closed on 8 September, and these are being worked through currently. More information on this can be found in the section on Community Access and Training.