8 February, 2001 NEWS RELEASE
from ITANZ
IT INITIATIVES GOOD NEWS FOR COMMUNITIES
The Government’s IT education initiatives go to the heart of requirements to address the digital divide as it impacts on
communities throughout the country, the Executive Director of the Information Technology Association of New Zealand
(ITANZ), Mr Jim O’Neill, said tonight.
“These four pilot programmes are good news. They illustrate commitment on the part of the ICT sector to partner with
government in addressing the issue. They also demonstrate the government’s commitment to getting on with the task.
“Each of the four programmes offers scope to show other communities just what can be achieved through active partnership
in this learning process between government and the ICT sector on the one hand and education and community leaders on
the other
“No less important is the opportunity offered by these programmes to play a significant role in demonstrating how ICT
can help in addressing the socio-economic divide.
“No one wants the socio-economic divide to worsen. ICT can play a crucial bridging role. It can open new education
aspirations for youth; provide new opportunities for service delivery between departments and the communities they
serve; and open up employment prospects simply not available to those who are not technology literate.
“These pilot programmes will demonstrate just what can be achieved at a variety of levels.” -Ends
For further information:
Jim O’Neill
Executive Director, ITANZ
Tel: (04) 472-2731;