Citizens Advice Bureau NZ (CABNZ) has delivered a clear challenge to the Government to do better and provide public services that are inclusive and accessible for all. Over the past two years, CAB volunteers have helped over 20,000 people who are experiencing digital exclusion. The trusted community organisation is concerned that the 'digital-first' approach of government agencies is leaving people behind. This challenge follows from the delivery of the CAB’s petition to address digital exclusion to Parliament in July.

“We want to see public services designed with people’s needs at the centre” Sacha Green, CABNZ National Advisor Legal and Strategic, told the Petitions Select Committee. “This means people should be able to access and use public services in a range of ways – whether online, face-to-face, through others, or by phone, so they can get what they need, and are entitled to, with dignity”.

Sacha Green said that the recent rollout of the My Vaccine Pass is an example of why we need a 'people-first' and not 'digital-first' public service. She explained that when the pass went live online, digitally excluded people immediately faced barriers and many reached out to the CAB for help. "In this situation, the Government had to respond quickly to concerns raised by our organisation and others. We were pleased to see them add capacity to the Ministry of Health phone line and provide other offline options including a face-to-face service from vaccinating pharmacies. We want that approach of inclusivity to be taken across the public service", Sacha Green said.

The CAB has been campaigning for the Government to address digital exclusion since the release of its Spotlight Report Face to Face with Digital Exclusion in February 2020. Despite the acknowledgement by Government that digital exclusion is a significant issue impacting at least 1 in 5 New Zealanders, the CAB has seen little action to ensure people who “cannot or do not want to access government services digitally can access them non-digitally, including their entitlements”1.

Green expressed the frustration of the CAB’s 2,500 volunteers who see people on a daily basis being shut out and left behind by the Government’s digital-first approach. She stated that “a system-wide response is needed and yet government agencies keep passing the buck and saying this is ‘outside of their remit’2. We want to see a planned approach to the design and delivery of all public services that prioritises well-being and supports inclusion for all people.”

The CAB tabled their recommendations and asked the MPs on the Petitions Select Committee to take action to ensure that no-one is left behind.

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