A Maori communications technology executive says the mobile phone company 2degrees is a failed attempt at trying to produce a Maori telco, and he wants a successful attempt to be made.
Te Aroha Morehu, who is a member of the Ratana Church, will be raising the issue at the Maori in ICT hui at Ratana Pa, which coincides with the annual Ratana Church celebrations just south of Whanganui this week.
He says besides celebrating how far Maori have come in the sector, more Maori need to be involved in the industry.
Mr Morehu, who works for planetmaori.com, says there is an absence of a Maori telco.
He says the mobile phone company 2degrees, for example, was born on Maori radio spectrum.
Mr Morehu says without that reserved slice of spectrum then 2degrees wouldn't exist.
The Ngati Whatua and Te Rarawa man says 2degrees could have been the Maori telco his sector of the ICT industry was pushing for, and he would like to encourage people at the hui to consider making another attempt at establishing a Maori telco.
The Maori in ICT hui runs for three days and starts on Thursday.
