The Project Auckland series looks at the challenges facing Auckland as it seeks to become a world-class city.
We want Auckland to be a Super Smart City by developing, attracting and retaining the best people possible. We want to become a city that leads the world in economic performance, and achieve this in a balanced and sustainable manner.
The ingredients are there for a new "economic pie" for the Super Smart Auckland. The prospect of ultra fast broadband is the "pastry". Computers, mobiles and game devices are the "filling" that stimulate our appetite for acquiring knowledge easily. And we have some world-leading community-based initiatives in Auckland that could potentially form a great 21st century Kiwi pie - one that can feed the nation economically long-term.
We need a cohesive plan to ensure all Auckland youth leave school with skills to not only gain employment, but to help grow the economy. At the same time we want to up-skill older Aucklanders to give them confidence when dealing with the internet and information technology applications.
Across the board, effective work practices and societal participation are enabled by information technology, and whether you aspire to be a mechanic or a software developer, it will form a component part of your daily working life.
Getting more Aucklanders empowered with 21st century work skills like this is important. Without a better performing Auckland we will not improve New Zealand's performance.
This plan needs to be a collaboration between the new council, business and the community, in particular school principals and boards of trustees.
It is a disgrace that youth unemployment in New Zealand is at 25 per cent, with Auckland being the hardest hit area. This is at a time when industries like information and communication technologies (ICT), hi-tech manufacturing and the creative industries are clamouring for people.
Historically it has been immigrants from countries such as South Africa and Britain , and returning expat Kiwis that have partially filled this gap in the ICT and hi-tech industries. But continued shortages exist in key areas, some in computer software and hardware, but others in less technical roles including sales and marketing, and working in service and support roles.
We need to grasp the opportunity for our youth to take up these jobs, which have above-average pay rates and wide-ranging career opportunities.
In their recent discussion paper, "A goal is not a strategy: Focusing efforts to improve New Zealand's prosperity", the New Zealand Institute identified the opportunity to grow the ICT and niche manufacturing sectors as the next major platform for economic growth. Much of this can happen in Auckland, but we cannot achieve it without people.
We have the opportunity to change the parlous state of affairs for young New Zealanders by taking advantage of successful community based pilot programmes in areas such as Pt England, Glen Innes, Panmure, Otahuhu, Otara, West Auckland, Papakura and Manurewa.
These programmes bring together students from our lowest socio economic communities and demonstrate that with access to technology, students from low decile schools can match or in some cases outperform students from high decile schools.
Imagine the positive impact this potentially highly qualified workforce could have on our productivity and innovation.
We need to scale these programmes and scale them fast - and we can with the right focus, close collaboration, and realistic levels of investment.
We need a broad coalition of those willing to make this happen and city leaders with the vision to support this collaboration and remove obstacles. Some of this involves capitalising on initiatives being driven by central government, but it will be the commitment of Auckland's new leaders, business people, and our communities that will determine whether we truly realise the opportunity.
LEARNING NET ALREADY DELIVERING RESULTS
The Manaiakalani Tamaki Learning Net initiative is one of the significant community-based initiatives in Auckland. This is a key part of the Tamaki Transformation Project, involving revitalising the 600ha Pt England, Glenn Innes and Panmure communities, which has the highest density of Housing New Zealand properties in the country, and average incomes of just $17,000 per annum
The project is being driven by a partnership between central government agencies, local government, the Tamaki community and the private sector - a model for collaboration across the Super Smart City. All are striving to achieve ambitious housing, infrastructure, social services and economic performance goals for the area by working together in new ways. Broadband infrastructure will underpin the transformation, giving citizens in the areas access to smart services, in many cases for the first time.
Driven by inspirational education leaders Russell and Dorothy Burt at Pt England School, Manaiakalani has a bold vision: to create life-long literate learners who are confident and connected anytime, anywhere, any place; ready for employment in tomorrow's market and contributing positively to their community.
In practice, the vision intends that every student from year 5 to 13 within the Tamaki catchment has a wireless-enabled laptop and the ability to access school-based internet services from home. This approach supports families to achieve their aspirations for their children by enabling engagement with their learning while encouraging knowledge and experience-sharing. Children from these schools are already international in their focus at the primary stage, with video conferencing, podcasts and blogs linking them with their peers globally.
The results to date are impressive. Through the Manaiakalani approach, education is being delivered by teachers in new ways, enabled by the use of technology. By fully engaging students children learn actively. All students in the target group now say they like writing, and literacy performance indicators across the cluster have increased.
This approach is for students who start their school life with many barriers to learning. The project has run a proof of concept that has shown its transformational approach to learning delivery works. The model engages all students throughout the literacy cycle. Teachers raise their students' capability in reading, writing, thinking, listening and speaking by publishing digital learning outcomes locally, nationally and internationally using web-enabled technology.
The next step is to expand this learning model outside the boundaries of the classroom through investment in broadband and more digital devices, thus laying the foundation for the inclusion of the whole Manaiakalani Cluster (seven schools, 1100 students) and eventually all schools and students within the Tamaki catchment (11 schools, 2400 students). NZICT is involved in driving the collaboration to make this happen, working with the Tamaki Transformation team, Housing NZ, Computer Clubhouse and potential broadband providers.
The ingredients are all there. It is an opportunity we must not waste.
Brett O'Riley is chief executive of the ICT Group
