Thousands of New Zealanders are being left behind as government agencies shut their doors and operate exclusively online, according to the Citizens Advice Bureau.
This kind of 'digital exclusion' leaves the volunteer-run organisation to assist the many people who struggle to fill out government forms, says the acting chief executive Andrew Hubbard.
Photo: 123rf
Digital exclusion can stem from lack of access to devices or the internet, but lack of digital literacy, literacy, language, finances and disability are also significant barriers, Hubbard tells Kathryn Ryan.
To raise awareness of the problem, the Citizens Advice Bureau are running the campaign Leave No-one Behind. They're also gathering names for a petition to the government that you can sign here.
It's not just older people being excluded by government services going online, Hubbard says.
All kinds of New Zealanders told The Citizens Advice Bureau that they feeling 'digitally excluded', he says, including many under 30.
The government's focus on providing more devices and more internet access but not addressing the range of other barriers that make it hard for people to complete forms online, he says.
People who want to access their legal housing rights via the Tenancy Tribunal can only do this online, Hubbard says.
"There's literally one line on [the Tenancy Tribunal] page - it's not a heading - saying you can apply by a paper form if you want to. You click on the link and the first three paragraphs are saying 'don't do this' basically… these barriers act as a disincentive for people to access that entitlement."
Recently the Citizens Advice Bureau helped a pregnant hotel worker receive the paid parental leave she was entitled to but didn't feel confident enough to apply for online, he says.
Another problem with the push to online-only is people being shown how to create an online account, with the Inland Revenue Department for example, then not having the skills to actually use it.
"We're seeing clients come to us who've been talked through how to access [the IRD site] myIR, for example. All their notifications about tax go to myIR and they never see it."
The Citizens Advice Bureau's message to the government is simple, Hubbard says - people are being left behind.
"Your solutions of more internet access, more devices, they're not going to resolve that problem entirely so we need to look at creative solutions.
"Every government agency should be concerned about making sure its services are accessible to everyone that needs them in a way that [works] for that person."
