Digital Strategy funding

Investment in digital technology is important - the digital world is both ordinary - it affects all aspects of our lives - and extraordinary - it offers revolutionary possiblities in all areas.

Specific funding for the Digital Strategy includes:

The Community Partnership Fund (CPF) 
The CPF enables communities to identify and develop initiatives to address their own digital needs in partnership with business and/or government. The fund supports local partnerships to develop ICT capabilities, address issues of confidence in using ICT,  to strengthen community projects through the use of ICT, and create and digitise distinctive and valuable New Zealand content and harness innovation in design and content.

The 2008/2009 funding round of the Community Partnership Fund will open 6 October 2008. 

Broadband Investment Fund - a new 'broadband challenge'
As part of Budget 2008 the Government has announced a major contestable fund aimed at facilitating high speed broadband connections to businesses in urban centres and key users in the health and education sectors, to extend the reach of broadband into underserved regions, and to improve the resilience of New Zealand's international connections.

The Broadband Investment Fund enables the roll-out of affordable broadband based on open-access principles. The fund promotes high-speed capacity in regional centres and supports innovative ways of making broadband available to remote and under-served communities. We giving seed funding to partnerships with achievable development plans and the ability to make it happen. 

An announcement for the Broadband Investment Fund is expected at the end of August 2008.

Other Government Funding
This funding is designed to be integrated with a number of other digital technology funding initiatives across government to ensure we get the synergies we need.

The government has a number of funding initiatives available for business and community development. These work alongside the Digital Strategy funding to address ICT development. To review other funding available visit the government’s portal – newzealand.govt.nz 

Further Information
æ The Community Partnership Fund
æ The Broadband Challenge