New grants provided to digital inclusion initiatives and research
Kia ora whanau
It feels like a long time coming...however, we’re thrilled to announce our latest grants. With the lockdown period and other factors to take into account, these initiatives have slightly adjusted timelines, which have required some changes before confirming funding agreements.
For the most recent grant round, with a total of $262,400 given out, InternetNZ had a focus on digital inclusion, meaning we prioritised initiatives that will contribute to more New Zealanders being able to participate in and benefit from the Internet. Eligible initiatives were expected to address digital inclusion through motivation, access, skills or trust.
Initiatives which demonstrated either a strong evaluation capability, or the willingness to work towards building this capability were prioritised.
Many of our community initiatives are working with our Evaluation Advisory Group, to create, test and iterate a practical approach to evaluation that meets the needs of evidence-based policy makers and funders which we have been developing.
Community initiatives supported
Multilingual access for Auckland Museum's Online Collections
Auckland War Memorial Museum, $15,000
This initiative involves translating the Museum's two main digital platforms, Collections Online and Online Cenotaph, user interfaces into Te Reo Māori. The translations will be made available with a Creative Commons licence, so other GLAMs (galleries, libraries, archives and museums) across Aotearoa can also make their collections more accessible to Te Reo users.
WellConnectedNZ - does facilitating access to Internet based initiatives improve outcomes?
Canterbury District Health Board, $33,000
Focused on enhancing social connectedness in Canterbury, this initiative aims to increase access to interactive web based WellConnectedNZ™ map. By providing reliable internet connections, devices and training support, the initiative will enable people to access information about community activities.
Appy Seniors: Digital inclusion programme that helps seniors (65+) engage in the digital world using apps on their smartphones, tablets and computers
Digital Inclusion Alliance Aotearoa, $30,000
Appy Seniors is a pilot programme designed to help seniors engage in the digital world using apps on their smartphones, tablets and computers. The initiative will create digi-savvy people who have the confidence to use relevant apps to help reduce social isolation as well as save money.
Digital Wellbeing for All: Keeping Our Kids Safe Online
Digital Inclusion Alliance Aotearoa, $30,000
Continuing the 2019 Digital Wellbeing pilot programme, this initiative will deliver the Digital License module to 10 libraries to provide the knowledge, skills and internet connectivity to adults, to keep themselves and their children safe online.
Home based digital support for seniors
Digital Seniors, $35,000
This initiative will involve setting up a free phone service to assist seniors with tech in multiple communities, as well as piloting a coaching programme for homebound seniors to help them to engage with and use technology. It will also seek to develop Digital Seniors online hub to fill the needs arising out of COVID-19.
Building digital confidence and Internet awareness using a multicultural approach
Te Mana o Kupe Trust, $15,000
Working alongside whānau, this initiative will provide a tailored, multilingual learning programme. The aim is to empower digital "ambassadors" who can organise and facilitate workshops for parents-helping their children to learn strategies to become safe and responsible users of the internet.
Research projects supported
Digital inclusion of the migrant owners of small businesses: An investigation of their technology readiness for internet-based services
Dr Caroline Qi, AUT, $24,700
This project focuses on small businesses with migrant owners, aiming to explore their readiness to use technology and online service in the context of the digital inclusion initiatives proposed by the government. The findings will provide useful insights for the implementation of digital inclusion initiatives.
Digital saturation: Geographic and socioeconomic determinants of Internet Access in New Zealand
Jeremy Greenbrook-Held, Independent Researcher, $5,000
This project will undertake an ecological study into drivers of household Internet access and digital inclusion, changes in demographic characteristics of household Internet access and predictions of probabilities to make recommendations for social and public policy and future research. This will provide a snapshot 14 years on from the original thesis.
21st Century Opportunities for Regional Small Businesses
Dr Emre Erturk, EIT, $9,500
This is a community driven, interactive research project aimed at discovering how the digital divide is affecting small businesses in the Hawkes Bay and what resources are needed to overcome this divide. It targets seniors, immigrants, young students, Māori, and others at-risk, in terms of computer skills and socio-economic factors.
An investigation of family digital cultures and its impact on the digital inclusion of parents and children
Dr Caroline Keen, Keen Initiatives Limited, $35,200
This project will look at how families engage with technology and how this impacts children's digital inclusion. It will focus on inequalities that may arise from family dispositions toward digital technologies, and how these might shape individual choices regarding digital engagement and inclusion.
UAV-aided Wireless Mesh Networking for Remote NZ Communities
Dr Wanqing Tu, The University of Auckland, $30,000
This project will study UAV-aided wireless mesh networking (WMN). The hypothesis is that both UAVs and WMN devices are cost-effective and require little maintenance compared to traditional infrastructure such as satellites and fibre optics which are vulnerable to obstacles and natural disasters. Therefore the aim is to provide a reliable and high-performance solution to connectivity issues that hamper remote communities of Aotearoa.
Our next grant round will be open within the next month - look out for details on eligibility and application information shared on our social media and other channels.