Māori & Pasifika at Datacom Australia & New Zealand

Getting more rangatahi Māori excited about tech and opportunities in the sector is one way to start addressing the under-representation of Māori in the industry. Only four per cent of New Zealand’s tech workforce identify as Māori despite representing 16.5% of the country’s population.

"In New Zealand if we don’t have representation from Māori when we are thinking about how we’re designing services for New Zealanders then we’ve got a massive gap,” says Justin Gray, Managing Director, Datacom New Zealand.

Datacom is a programme partner and has provided mentoring for the PMP teams, hosting a hackathon to help the rangatahi (young people) refine their concepts and build out their prototypes.

Datacom is involved in a number of other initiatives focused on supporting more rangatahi to build a career in the technology sector and ensuring more equitable access to the advantages offered by new and emerging technologies.

A strategic partnership agreement with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu is giving the South Island iwi access to training and placement opportunities with Datacom, and opportunities to develop overall technical capability.

The partnership has significant mutual value for Datacom and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.

Datacom Group CEO Greg Davidson says for the company it is an important opportunity to better understand the needs of Māori in the tech sector and to tap into new talent.

Sparking a passion for tech is another piece of the puzzle, which is why Datacom is encouraging team members to speak at events like Ko Māui Hangarau, the annual summit for rangatahi featuring Māori innovators and entrepreneurs from around the country.

Teresa Pollard, Associate Director - Strategic Partnerships for Datacom, spoke at the 2021 summit and says sharing stories about exciting careers and what can be achieved through technology is a great way to inspire young people to consider technology as a career option.

Datacom are also proud Platinum Partners of TupuToa an dorganisation which aims to provide professional opportunities for Māori and Pacific in corporate, government and community organisations.