ICT-The perception of the Togan minority in New Zealand

Abstract

Technologies that are being developed according to the needs of a particular society depend largely on the level of skills, available materials, economy, requirements and cultural traits of that society. If such technologies are proved to work successfully within a given society, cultural differences may not allow those technologies to operate effectively elsewhere. Therefore, when transferring a new technology cross-culturally, several factors must be considered so that it is beneficial to the recipients. The paper argues that technologies that are new to an Indigenous group should be adapted to suit that community's prevailing culture, beliefs, level of skill, and economy instead of being used as a tool of acculturation. This paper explores pathways through which Pacific Islanders (PI) in New Zealand might consider the lCT industry as a potential field of study for their children or as a source of jobs for themselves. The paper identifies the number of PI studying ICT at Auckland's public tertiary institutions in 2005. It also presented the results of a study about how the PI in Auckland view computers, and compares that with the result of a pilot study that was done in 2004 in Hamilton. An overview of the importance of socio-cultural values is presented, followed by a discussion of the impact of cultural interaction and cultural change on traditional societies. Finally, a strategy is proposed to improve people's understanding of computers as tools for processing, sharing and preserving information.