IGF 2018 LIGHTNING SESSION #4 Solving Digital Divides in New Zealand: a multistakeholder approach

Subtheme: ACCESS & CONNECTIVITY

Title: Solving Digital Divides in New Zealand: a multistakeholder approach

Description:

Solving digital divides to ensure all people can benefit from the Internet remains an enduring challenge. This lightning session will share some details of the recent multistakeholder approach being undertaken in New Zealand by civil society, government and others, to define, understand and close digital divides.



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 showcase the work InternetNZ is undertaking through collaboration across sectors as part of a call for universal access in New Zealand. This session will also discuss recent work by the New Zealand government to close digital divides by 2020, including through a multistakeholder ministerial advisory group.

Presenter: Dr Ellen Strickland, Internet New Zealand, Civil Society/Technical

Session Time
Report

 Session Type (Workshop, Open Forum, etc.):

Lightning Talk

- Title:

Solving Digital Divides in New Zealand: a multistakeholder approach

- Date & Time:

140pm 12 Nov

 

- Organizer(s):

Ellen Strickland, Internet New Zealand

- Chair/Moderator:

 

- Rapporteur/Notetaker:

 

- List of speakers and their institutional affiliations (Indicate male/female/ transgender male/ transgender female/gender variant/prefer not to answer):

Ellen Strickland, female

- Theme (as listed here):

Digital Inclusion and Accessability

- Subtheme (as listed here):

Access and connectivity

- Please state no more than three (3) key messages of the discussion. [150 words or less]
A range of factors create digital divides that still prevent people from benefitting from the Internet, even where access rates are high, such as in New Zealand.

Solving digital divides to ensure all people can benefit from the Internet remains an enduring challenge. 
 

Examples of efforts to meet these challenges in New Zealand were discussed.

Please elaborate on the discussion held, specifically on areas of agreement and divergence. 

As a lightning sessions, discussion was as above.

- Please describe any policy recommendations or suggestions regarding the way forward/potential next steps. 

Recommendation for multistakeholder approaches to be used in digital divides work, with a view to research, collaboration and working locally with communities as key next steps.

- What ideas surfaced in the discussion with respect to how the IGF ecosystem might make progress on this issue?

By working together.

- Please estimate the total number of participants.

20 in room

- Please estimate the total number of women and gender-variant individuals present.

Around half

- To what extent did the session discuss gender issues, and if to any extent, what was the discussion? 

The role of gender in intersectional digital divides was discussed.