NZCS to help "Carry Baton" from DDC
PRESS RELEASE – NZ Computer Society Inc. (NZCS)
5 February 2009
For Immediate Release
The New Zealand Computer Society (NZCS) today committed to helping continue the good work of the Digital Development
Council, following ICT Minister Steven Joyce’s announcement that the DDC will not continue to be funded.
“While we’re obviously disappointed that the DDC has been scrapped before it’s had a chance to really get going, we also
understand the reasoning in the current economic climate”, NZCS CEO Paul Matthews said today.
The Digital Development Council (DDC) was established last year by the previous Government to aid collaboration between
the main ICT representative bodies, to provide a single funnel for information to Government and to help coordinate the
efforts of member organisations.
Matthews said today that “NZCS will now step up further, along with other like-minded organisations, and carry on the
great work the DDC has started”. Matthews pointed to the NZCS announcement last week of a new “Digital Literacy
Division” within the Society to actively tackle digital illiteracy in New Zealand and help grow the core ICT skills of
kiwis as an example of the work NZCS will be coordinating.
“The increased collaboration between the member organisations as a result of the DDC has significantly accelerated some
of these initiatives”, Matthews said. “We will be continuing to work with the organisations that made up the DDC and
others, and are committed to continuing with the projects started during the DDC era”.
“NZCS will also be forming a ‘Digital Literacy Taskforce’ in February to help guide and prioritise the work of the new
NZCS Division and will be continuing with this project in a collaborative and progressive manner”, Matthews said.
“This work is too important to let lapse. We’re in talks with others about whether the DDC should continue in some form,
however NZCS and others remain committed to tackling these issues collaboratively, with or without the DDC”, Matthews
concluded.
ENDS
About the NZ Computer Society
NZCS is the professional body of ICT Professionals, and as a non-profit charitable organisation works with industry,
academia, Government and the wider community to achieve its mission of increasing the standards and professionalism of
both the NZ ICT industry, and the base-level ICT skills and competence of New Zealanders.
The Society is made up of a large number of ICT professionals as well as partnerships with New Zealand’s leading
organisations – both ICT companies and other organisations who are serious about the development of their staff – both
ICT professionals and ICT users.