Talofa reader,

I had some thoughts recently on this topic, and after a live stream and discord discussion, wanted to note things down.

Misunderstanding the “Pasifika in Tech” Problem

I remember reading this article in 2021, back when I was looking into why there are so few Pasifika in the tech industry.

This quote right at the top stands out:

“Stop repeating the conversation, start the action — you’re leaving us behind.” That’s an example of what the Department of Internal Affairs heard when it interviewed a number of Pacific peoples in 2020 to find out what they see as the barriers to digital inclusion.

This, and many other examples of stories at the time, convinced me there was a demand from our community for access to the tech industry and careers.

But after several years, trying various things in the community, with local councils and Pasifika churches, I'm not convinced this was ever the case.

A member of my Discord posed this question in the discussions forum:

"Do we have a Pasifika in Tech problem? What is the problem? Who is the problem for?"

This was a question I asked on the TechNesian Live Stream, and it's one I've been asking myself recently, especially in light of the Pasifika Tech Network shutdown.

Back in 2021, I would have said "yes," but my answer today would be "No, we don't have a Pasifika in tech problem."

Why is that?

Because "low numbers of Pasifika in tech" is not the same as "there are barriers and no support for getting more Pasifika in tech."

One of these is a Pasifika problem, the other is just an objective statistic in the tech industry.

We got it wrong somewhere way back at the start.

Read the full post here