• About the Strategy
• Funding
• Media Centre
• Your Region
• Contact Us

The importance of Confidence

To make the most of the opportunities ICT offers, New Zealanders must have the confidence to use it. This means making sure we have the necessary ICT skills not only to use computers, the Internet and online services but also ensuring our economy has the trained and skilled individuals we will need to develop our digital future.  Having the skills is in itself not enough, we also need to ensure we have an appropriate "digital environment" that is safe and secure for us to use.

 
“Confidence” is the development of the necessary skills at all ages, in all parts of society, to use and participate in ICT effectively. Such skills include functional and digital literacy, and the ability to be involved in creating and accessing content, as well as the ability to participate in an interactive electronic environment. Confidence also encompasses creating trust, safety and security in the use of ICT.

In the Digital Strategy we set out New Zealand's goal for developing the Confidence area:
Goal: To provide all New Zealanders with the digital skills and confidence to find and use the information they need; and to ensure that telecommunications and the Internet in New Zealand are reliable and secure.

The government is investing heavily in education and skills training through the Education system and through community partnerships. But we also need to improve the skills of people already in work - Why? because 80% of today’s workforce will still be working in 10 years’ time. And Skills shortages are also a problem in the ICT industry itself. 

New threats to our emerging digital world undermine our confidence and ability to make the most of ICT. The Internet and digital services are sometimes subject to the malign actions of spammers, virus writers, and fraudsters.

Netsafe is a New Zealand organisation devoted to helping New Zealanders learn about cybersafety. Visit the Netsafe website at www.netsafe.org.nz to find out what you, as a New Zealander, need to know about making the most of ICT but also being safe while you do so.

The 2006 NetSafe Symposium - CyberSafety & Security Online - included a number of presentations on the challenges facing the ICT world - these can be accessed on the Netsafe website and provide a good background of the issues.

You can access the Confidence section of the Digital Strategy publication here
æ Confidence Section

 
Action

The Government is currently developing a range of inter-related initiatives that are contributing to the Confidence goal of the Digital Strategy. These initiatives work closely with the developments in the Connection and Content areas of the Digital Strategy, as developing Confidence on its own isn't enough.

Government is only one player in this area - businesses, community groups and all New Zealanders have a role in developing our digital confidence. The Confidence section addresses Capability development (learning) and Safety and Security. Developments in these areas are also supported by wider regulatory changes designed to help create the appropriate legal environment. As well as that we must consider the wider environmental aspects of ICT - including Teleworking and important topics like E-waste (where do all those old computers actually go?).

To find out more about some of the intiatives that the Government is working on visit the
æ Capability Actions Section,
æ Safety and Security Actions Section,
æ Regulatory Developments, and the
æ ICT & The Environment.

"A Strategic Consideration of ICT Security and Confidence in New Zealand" [Pdf 120kb], is a discussion paper that has been produced as part of the ongoing safety and security work associated with the Digital Strategy. A range of submissions have been received. Those submissions are helping to shape a final paper that will addresses the areas for action and help Government prioritise investment in this area. Full details are likely to be made available in the first quarter of 2007.

The e-Learning Action Plan for Schools 2006-2010 outlines the key outcomes and actions for e-learning in the New Zealand school sector for 2006-2010. It describes the goals for e-learning in schools and the projects, tools, and resources that are being developed to address those outcomes.