September 10, 2015
Maori missing out on ICT fund.
A Maori information and communications technology advocate says Maori are missing out while the government tries to work out who should manage a $30 million fund to promote Maori use of ICT.
The fund was set up as a sop by Communications Minister Amy Adams when she ruled against setting aside for Maori and allocation of the spectrum needed for the next generation of mobile data, which would have been worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Karaitiana Taiuru from the Maori Internet Society says the initial plan for Te Mangai Paho to dole out the money was scrapped on advice the Maori broadcast funding agency didn’t have the legal power to do so.
Since then there have been months of indecision.
"The beneficiaries of that $30 million dollar fund are missing out. There's obviously interest payments which aren't being utilised for the people. Of course there is administration money and costs associated when Te Mangai Paho thought they were going to administer the fund. So the beneficiaries of the Maori ICT communities are yes missing out" he says.
Karaitiana Taiuru says some people want the money to subsidise the existing Maori ICT sector, although there is no agreement what that is, while others want it to promote ICT for all Maori.
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