Hon Steven Joyce
Minister of Science and Innovation
Hon Te UruroaFlavell
Minister for Maori Development

6 October 2016

Applications open for Māori Digital Technology Fund

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce and Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell today announced that applications are open for the Māori Digital Technology Development Fund which will support greater participation by Māori in New Zealand’s digital technology industries.

“We see technology and innovation as central to New Zealand’s economic, environmental, social and cultural wellbeing,” Mr Joyce says. “This fund will enable Māori to better engage with technology by improving and promoting pathways to enter the digital technology sector.”

The funding priorities are:

• improving digital skills and pathways for Māori in digital technologies
• growing digital technologies businesses
• enhancing new Māori language and culture initiatives through digital technologies.

“The fund will support access to the Māori language and culture through ICT by developing delivery mechanisms for Māori language content and supporting content production,” Mr Flavell says.

“Applications which demonstrate collaboration across government, iwi, business and community organisations through utilisation of other funding pools or other contributions will be looked on favourably and are encouraged.”

"Māori are under-represented in the digital sector. This fund will also support the development of the skills necessary to participate fully in our digital future. The long-term objective is to create high value jobs and opportunities that advance Māori in digital technologies,” Mr Joyce says.

The Fund will be a joint programme between Te Puni Kōkiri and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, with Te Puni Kōkiri as the lead agency. The $30 million fund was established as part of Budget 2014 as the Māori ICT Development Fund.

More information is available HERE

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