Exploring digital inclusion, equity, community participation and helping people build digital confidence.
Someone hands you a phone. You can see the problem almost immediately. You could probably fix it in thirty seconds, hand the phone back and say, “There you go.” Problem solved. But perhaps not much has actually been learned. That small moment captures something I have been thinking about increasingly in my digital inclusion work:
When Helping Means Not Taking Over Read More »
There is a quiet kind of exclusion that happens when the world moves online faster than people can keep up. It does not always look dramatic from the outside. It might be someone sitting at the kitchen table, staring at a phone, unsure whether a message is real or a scam. It might be an
Digital Inclusion Whanganui: Listening First, Then Building What People Actually Need Read More »
Why digital inclusion belongs in Whanganui’s energy future Something significant is beginning to gather momentum across our region. Energy. Infrastructure. Investment. Regional reform. Technology. Skills. Population movement. Economic development. Digital Inclusion Whanganui sits within this wider conversation about participation, infrastructure and regional opportunity. Across Whanganui and the wider lower-west North Island, discussions are accelerating around
Power, Place and Participation Read More »
In the past five months, 93 outward-facing engagements have been delivered across Whanganui. Not projected.Not estimated.Recorded, one by one. That includes: 21 structured SENSE drop-in sessions 47 community events, talks, and workshops 25 sector and network meetings Alongside this, more than 2,000 people have been reached in person. Online engagement has extended that reach further,
Small on Scale. Significant in Signal Read More »
Cyber resilience systems and people are closely connected in New Zealand. Across the country, serious effort is going into strengthening the cyber security of critical infrastructure — communications, energy, health systems, finance, and transport. That work matters. Ultimately, resilience depends on how well people and systems work together. And it’s clear that across the country,
Cyber Resilience Needs a Stronger Bridge Between Systems and People Read More »
Over the past year, Digital Inclusion Whanganui has quietly moved from idea to action. What began as a concern about digital exclusion in our community has gradually taken shape as a locally grounded initiative focused on improving digital access, confidence, safety, and capability across the district. During this first phase we have concentrated on three
Into Year Two: Reflection and the Road Ahead for Digital Inclusion Whanganui Read More »
On the surface, digital inclusion and equity should be uncontroversial.Who could argue against helping people connect, build skills, stay safe online, and participate fully in modern life? And yet — it rarely becomes a priority. Not because it doesn’t matter.But because it sits everywhere and nowhere at once. The Paradox of Ubiquity Digital capability is
“Reading Wired Wisdom over summer — a book that helped articulate what we’re already practising.” Over summer, while many of us were trying to slow down, I spent time reading Wired Wisdom: How to Age Better Online by Eszter Hargittai and John Palfrey (University of Chicago Press). Further reading – click here : Wired Wisdom
Learning at the Right Pace, for the World We’re In Read More »
End-of-year reflections, 2025 As the year turns and Whanganui settles into the long light of summer, it feels like the right moment to pause, breathe, and look back on how far this kaupapa has travelled. Digital inclusion work rarely arrives in grand announcements or dramatic breakthroughs. It grows through small, steady acts of service —
Digital Inclusion Whanganui — Our Journey This Year Read More »
There are moments, usually quiet ones, when a year folds back on itself and you suddenly see the path you’ve taken. This has been one of those moments for me. It’s now over a year since I stepped away from national digital inclusion work. Not dramatically — simply recognising that my energy, my instinct and
Filling in the Blanks – Learning from the Past, Building Fairly for the Future Read More »
