Digits: Digital inclusion in Palmerston North

https://www.notechday.nz/

No Tech Day | Together for Digital Equity Join No Tech Day to raise awareness and take action towards achieving digital equity in Aotearoa. Learn how you can contribute to closing the digital divide.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/life/wellbeing/new-zealand-s-first-treatment-centre-for-cellphone-addiction

New Zealand's first treatment centre for cellphone addiction is coming As screen time problems rise some countries have turned to boot camps and detox centres to help children reduce their dependence on screens. Now it's our turn.

Shining a light on digital inequity
Did you know that one in 10 households in New Zealand have no Internet access? No wonder then that 1 in 10 New Zealanders lack digital skills and confidence. No Tech Day on the 28th August is a national day of awareness and action to highlight digital inequity in Aotearoa. Digital access is no longer optional. Everyday life increasingly assumes everyone has a device, access to the internet, and the skills and confidence to use them. Not everyone does. That's where Digits jumps in! We have issued over 1000 devices to school aged children and their families helping to bridge the digital divide. Recently we had a call from a parent in Tauranga with 4 children at high school and intermediate that we sadly couldnt help due to the location. Manawatu families continue to benefit from a local organisation being able to help in this area. Pictured below are too very happy lads with their chromebooks. Gets yours by applying on our website www.digits.org.nz

Every year, Spark invests millions into the Skinny Jump programme, with one of its largest costs being the purchase of new Jump modems and we want to make sure we are using this generous investment wisely.

Our approach has been to encourage customers who do not need their modems any more to return these so that they can be delinked and reissued in much the same way that libraries issue books. But the main difference of course is that there is no time limit on the Jump ‘loan’ modems; customers are welcome to keep the modem for as long as they need it.

If you do have a Skinny Jump modem at home that you no longer want and have possibly upgraded with more data, please get in touch with Digits as we can meet you to get the modem reset and reissued to somebody else on the waitlist, thanks.

Digits Newsletter: August 2026 -

Digits Newsletter: August 2026 We have been winding down from our big event this month and looking at all the positives of the Digifest and ways of improvement for 2027. We certainly had a great time providing this for STEM students in the Manawatu.

Manawatu Digifest 2026. Come on down from today to Te Manawa to see if for yourself. Open from 10am-5pm until Monday 6th July when it closes at 3pm. See you there.

Photos from the Opening event for Digifest 2026 at Te Manawa

Digits crew and Nat from Chorus at the Opening event of Digifest 2026 at Te Manawa. From left Nic Mason (Board member), Christina Mercer (Volunteer), Bronwyn Ewens (Operations Manager), Caidyn Frew-Wehipeihana (Volunteer) Natalie Lawson (Chorus), Pat Debney (Digits Board Chair), Frances Smorti and Marc Paterson (both Board members)

Come down to Digifest starting Friday 3rd July at Te Manawa Museum

1st school Whakarongo has arrived and set up. So exciting to see the students hard work displayed for the event.