October 12, 2023
Māori rangatahi encouraged into tech world
A three year Auckland Council initiative to grow the region’s $13 billion technology sector as identified ways to encourage more rangatahi Māori to consider a career in tech.
The first-year report for Tech Tāmaki Makaurau says the Covid pandemic exposed the sector’s over-reliance on sourcing labour from overseas, an also a lack of diversity, with women making up less than a third of the workforce and Maori just 5.7 percent.
Tataki Auckland Unlimited director Pam Ford says it’s looking at the supply side with careers showcases in schools with high Maori and Pasifika rolls, and it’s also suggesting ways employers can recruit and retain rangatahi Maori
“So the research told us that there’s a sense of belonging, if people want to go into these sorts of companies and jobs were tech is, and so how can we ensure employers create culturally safe, literate workplaces ensure there are good networks for people going into these industries, and overall encourage Maori participation and leadership in the tech sector,” she says.