Tech Talanoa 2023

Kia ora, Talofa lava, Kia Orana, Ni sa bula, Mālō e lelei, Noa’ia, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Mauri, Mālo ni, Fakatalofa atu and warm Pacific greetings

Toi Mai recently hosted Tech Talanoa events to gather insights from Pasifika in tech to help inform the Toi Whānui workforce development plan. The focus of the Tech Talanoa was centered around the following key questions:

1. What are the skills gaps, needs, barriers for Pacific peoples in the tech sector?
2. What value does Pacific peoples bring to the tech sector?
3. From a Pacific perspective, how can we improve IT education, training development and vocational training in Aotearoa to help get more Pacific peoples into tech?
4. What do we need to do to attract and welcome more Pasifika people into the tech sector?

Participant criteria

The participant criteria was extremely specific to the talanoa’s key questions. Toi Mai encouraged those who met the following criteria to come along and share their experiences:

• Work in the tech sector and are of Pacific descent
• Pacific Community HUBs / NGOs that are running tech upskill programmes for Pasifika in the community
• Hiring managers that are working in the tech sector
• Recruiters from recruitment agencies that are looking for Pasifika talent to fill roles in the tech sector