Legacy project to create tech-savvy generation

A $ 90,000 GigCity Community Fund grant has been awarded by Chorus to a network of technology educators in Dunedin who plan to create a new generation of techsavvy youth.

Under the governance of Connected Education Trust, The Hive will bring together education providers including Hatch Education, Tinkerschool, Fab Lab Dunedin, and Fun Science, alongside partners The Malcam Trust and Otago Polytechnic, to deliver youth- education programmes that work to inspire digital citizenship, creativity and tech skills.

The Connected Education group will connect on a regular basis to run HIVE events and showcase their latest innovations, while also developing a mobile education outreach service. In this way, the group can support local schools in their own teaching efforts with tech programmes developed around specific techrelated areas such as robotics, virtual reality, Minecraft, 3D design and printing, plus more.

Chorus NZ Dunedin Liaison Manager Kim Stewart says the Connected Education grant creates an inspiring opportunity for Dunedin’s youth that becomes a legacy of the Gigatown competition win.

Other grants awarded in this round include $22,000 for Anglican Family Care for its Primary Community Data Project – a partnership between Anglican Family Care Centre’s Family Start programme and Well South. The project aims to develop an electronic data exchange warehouse that allows client data sharing to improve health outcomes for Dunedin’s vulnerable children.

A collaboration between the University of Otago’s Geography Department, and six other organisations (Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, Orokonui Ecosanctuary, Te Tumu, The Otago Museum and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ōtepoti) received $20,000 for the ‘Ahe Pepe MothNet’ project to develop a UFB- supported game and app that encourages engagement in Te Reo Māori by testing users’ knowledge of moths while teaching the story of the origin of moths from the Kai Tahu Lorero.

An additional $12,000 was awarded to ChatBus to redevelop its website and mobile counselling platform to streamline the organisation’s online needs and allow counsellors to update information remotely.

The latest $147,000 of grants takes the total funding allocated to almost $ 455,086 out of the $ 500,000 allocated to gig- related community projects from Chorus for the Gigatown win.

Stewart says an additional funding round – opening next month – will be held to allocate the final $ 44,000. “We had some impressive ideas come through in this application round but many of them were still in the incubation stage. We’re hoping an extra couple of months will allow organisations to consider our judges’ feedback and take the projects to the next level.”