Improving the lives of seniors, carers and youth

Digital literacy training for seniors

Training will soon be available to help seniors from a diverse range of backgrounds to increase their trust in using the internet, keep in contact with friends and family and adjust to rapidly changing technology.

This follows the recent announcement by the Office for Seniors that Digital Inclusion Alliance Aotearoa (DIAA) and the 20/20 Trust will receive funding to deliver digital literacy training for seniors across New Zealand.

The funding of $600,000 over three years, which DIAA and the 20/20 trust will share was announced in last year’s Wellbeing Budget.

“This training will be life-changing for older people who miss out on the benefits of the digital world,” says Office for Seniors Director Diane Turner.

DIAA will deliver Better Digital Futures through its partner network, including libraries, and community organisations, to help older people who find computers and the internet challenging. The training is expected to reach more than 4,300 people, through 105 partners, over a period of up to three years.

The 20/20 Trust works at the grassroots level to provide digital literacy training to the most vulnerable in our communities. The Trust will deliver the Pacific Senior CONNECT programme to 375 people in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), and Ōtautahi (Christchurch) over a period of up to three years. This programme, specifically tailored for seniors, will deliver a series of modules at participants’ churches and in their own language.

We’re very pleased to partner with our colleagues in MSD’s Pacific Responsiveness Team to support the delivery of this service. This aligns with one of the actions in MSD’s Pacific Prosperity strategy to enhance existing communication platforms to acknowledge the diverse needs of Pacific peoples, families and communities.

Receiving this funding will allow these providers to make a difference in the lives of many older people, by breaking down the barriers that exist between some older people and technology.

New Carers’ Strategy Action Plan launched

Did you know that one in 10 New Zealanders care for a friend, family, whānau or aiga member with a disability, health condition, illness or injury?

Government agencies and sector organisations are working to improve the wellbeing of these carers by carrying out a range of actions identified in the new Mahi Aroha – Carers’ Strategy Action Plan 2019–2023.

These actions are focused on:

• Recognising carers and their contributions
• Improving the way carers can navigate the support and services available to them
• Supporting the wellbeing of carers
• Helping carers who want to balance their caring role with paid work or study.

Mahi Aroha was developed in partnership with the New Zealand Carers Alliance and a cross-government agency working group. It builds on the work of the two previous action plans that were developed to support the New Zealand Carers’ Strategy.

Carers from throughout New Zealand provided feedback on a draft of Mahi Aroha and made a significant contribution to its development. You can read a Summary of Submissions on our website.

The Action Plan includes a new focus on target populations (Māori, Pacific, young and older carers) and a family, whānau, aiga-centred approach will form part of the implementation approach.

Hive is giving young people a voice

An innovative online platform called The Hive has been developed by the Ministry of Youth Development – Te Mānatū Whakahiato Taiohi and MSD as part of the Youth Voice Project.

The aim of The Hive is to increase rangatahi participation in government policy development in a way that works for them. It focuses on building two-way communication between young people and government agencies, by building trust and allowing rangatahi to engage with the issues they are interested in. It aims to involve more young people by using social media to connect and engage.

Fifteen young Hivers have produced accessible and relevant policy content, designed branding materials, and created material for use on social media channels. The Hive website was launched in September 2019 featuring a call for submissions on Aotearoa New Zealand’s Biodiversity Strategy, being led by the Department of Conservation. Some 281 submissions were received from rangatahi throughout Aotearoa.

Three different blogs are now available on Digital.govt.nz. Read these to learn more about the process, learnings and how one of the Hivers found the experience.