Thoughts from Connecting Aotearoa: Digital Inclusion Benefits Everyone
- Stephen McConnachie
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Rising together with connectivity for all
To rise as a nation, we have to rise together. Digital inclusion, or lack thereof, affects everyone from individuals to telecommunication companies and beyond.
Internet connectivity is just one of the factors that play into the digital divide that exists in Aotearoa. It’s an important one, though! Devices, skills, confidence, connectivity: all of these things contribute to creating a fairer future.
Stephen attended the Connecting Aotearoa Summit 2025, presented by the Tech Users Association New Zealand. This annual event brings together key people to discuss how we can ensure that all New Zealanders have access to the tech and services necessary to thrive. With a range of speakers from various sectors sharing issues, reports, and potential solutions, it’s an important part of the digital inclusion conversation in Aotearoa.
These are some of Stephen’s takeaways from the conference:
Connectivity is a basic modern need
Many of the speakers testified to the fact that an internet connection is not just a nice-to-have. In this day and age, it’s crucial to business, socialising, education, and more.
Nicole Oliver, a board member of Rural Women New Zealand, said “connectivity helps rural women thrive, not just survive.”
Rural dwellers are one of the groups most affected by a lack of decent internet access, with the infrastructure for reliable broadband not yet in place for more isolated communities. While many use Starlink, this is a very expensive option making it inaccessible to a lot of households. When only one option exists, there are also issues of internet resilience: if it goes down, connectivity is lost. This is a real concern for those in rural areas without mobile internet service.
For some people, it’s a matter of life and death: an internet connection does, in fact, improve their chances of survival. It was pointed out during the conference that rural health outcomes are often poor, and a primary reason for this is a lack of access to healthcare services. Insufficient funding for rural clinics leaves many without options and telehealth is often the best way to see a doctor. Digital technology and telehealth services feature heavily in the Rural Health Strategy 2023, a roadmap to better outcomes. But without reliable internet access, this doesn’t work.
The “long tail” of digital inclusion holds us back from equity
Paul Brislen of the New Zealand Telecommunications Forum spoke at Connecting Aotearoa about the statistical long tail that emerges in many graphs regarding digital inclusion. Specifically, he mentioned the upcoming 3G network shutdown. Happening in late 2025, this is bringing to light the state of connectivity across the motu.
The telecommunications sector has determined that the majority of New Zealanders are ready for the change, with access to 4G and 5G networks already. However, the “long tail” of that graph—the few NZers who will lose access to their mobile networks unless something else is put in place—will be difficult to manage, Paul said.
"This long tail will be difficult to manage." - Paul Brislen, NZ Telecommunications Forum
Just as in education outcomes and many other metrics, New Zealand has big numbers at the high end of the scale when it comes to digital access. However, when it’s bad, it’s bad; there is always a group that shows how wide the gap is.
The 3G network, like the copper internet network which is also slated for a cut in several years, is a legacy network that’s expensive to maintain. Shutting it down isn’t a malicious decision to disenfranchise Kiwis reliant on 3G, it’s freeing up resources which can be spent on a variety of things including digital inclusion initiatives. However, it’s important to ensure that nobody is left behind. Everyone, including telecom providers, benefits when all New Zealanders have the ability and opportunity to use the internet.
Future proofing contributes to digital inclusion
A common thought from speakers at Connecting Aotearoa was that alongside ensuring we get everyone online, we should be planning for the future. Infrastructure upgrades are great. Are we thinking far enough ahead when they happen?
Six years ago, many New Zealanders were probably happy with the speed and capacity of their internet connections. In 2020, with two or more people in the home trying to work or learn via constant Zoom meetings, they may have felt suddenly limited by them. We’re happy with what we have until some unforeseen limit, pain point, or change in circumstance is reached, and it can be very difficult to predict when that will happen.
Upgrades are inevitable. But when they’re an afterthought, there will always be people left behind. If we plan further ahead, we can ensure that everyone has reliable access to the internet before any network or cabling becomes obsolete. It was encouraging to see at the conference that some parties understand this and are thinking ahead to ensure that infrastructure keeps up with the pace of change.
Craig Young, Chief Executive of TUANZ (and also on the board of Katoa Connect Trust with Stephen), spoke about decision-makers with their fast, reliable internet connections making decisions about what the bare minimum for other people should be. It’s easy to decide arbitrarily that 20mbps upload speed is an OK baseline for universal digital inclusion. But in this digital age, is that really true? And for how long?
Everyone benefits from digital inclusion
It was fantastic to hear from all speakers the understanding that digital inclusion is beneficial to all in Aotearoa. Ensuring that every person can participate in online life, learning, and work is not just some social good (it’s that too, and that’s essential) but an economic positive.
Petra Clausen, president of BTG Netherlands which is the Dutch Association for IT and Communication Technology, was a virtual contributor to Connecting Aotearoa. She talked about a triple helix of business, government, and science wrapping around each other and pulling each other up as they go. Internet access is foundational to all of these things. Which next scientific breakthrough is lurking in the brain of someone unable to attend university because online applications are a barrier? Which rural dweller has a business idea that could employ hundreds, but is unable to put it into action due to slow and unreliable internet access?
Securing digital inclusion through future-proofed infrastructure, tech education, and social initiatives for underserved groups will have great return on investment. The abstract from an article in the Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy regarding the state of digital inclusion in Australia says
“Digital inclusion is vital to employment participation, economic development, educational achievement, social and civic inclusion, health and wellbeing.”
A regional study from Brazil entitled Digital Inclusion and Economic Development concluded that “The importance of broadband for regional development makes it clear that all levels of government should follow policies that encourage network deployments.”
When we rise, we rise together. That’s more than just a feel-good saying; it implies very real effects on our economy and development as a nation.
“The internet is not a place we visit. It is the nervous system of our lives, our communities, and our businesses.”-Ellen Strickland of the Brainbox Institute
Ellen’s quote underscores the importance of digital inclusion as a topic to be considered, talked about, and addressed with real action. The Connecting Aotearoa Summit 2025 brought many key people together to present information and ideas. Our hope is that connectivity across the country remains a priority throughout the year, and that those with the power to do so take the actions necessary to secure it.
Moving forward with digital inclusion
Connecting Aotearoa provided fantastic insight into how the telecommunications sector views the issue of digital inclusion and connectivity. This along with input from non-profits and industry organisations demonstrated that getting all of Aotearoa online is in the vested interest of companies, communities, and the nation as a whole.
Telecommunications infrastructure affects us all. Schools need accessible and reliable internet connections. Students need this at home to effectively learn and study. For educators in rural or disadvantaged areas: what can you do to advocate for more universal internet access, and in the meantime, how can you plan around this? How does the use of digital tech in your learning and assessment design reflect your context and the level of digital inclusion (or exclusion) amongst your learners?
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