UPDATE
27 March 2025
Apple deepens community initiatives in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand
These efforts include representing Indigenous lands in Apple Maps,
new grants for local partners, and expanding the Apple Foundation Program
new grants for local partners, and expanding the Apple Foundation Program
Apple’s new community initiatives in Australia and New Zealand deepen the company’s long-standing ties with both countries, using technology to help preserve culture and enhance education.
Apple today announced new initiatives in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand that collaborate with communities to advance technology’s role in preserving culture and enhancing education. This includes rolling out representation of Indigenous lands in Australia and New Zealand in Apple Maps, unveiling new community grants for local partners, and expanding the Apple Foundation Program to help students pursue careers in the growing iOS app economy.
“We’ve had teams in Australia and New Zealand for over 40 years, and we’re thrilled to deepen our relationships here and bring new opportunities to communities across both countries,” said Alisha Johnson Wilder, Apple’s senior director of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives. “These efforts put community first by representing Indigenous land, expanding access to education, and protecting our shared environment.”
Representing Indigenous Lands in Apple Maps
Beginning today, Apple Maps now displays Indigenous lands in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. By gathering information from Indigenous advisors, cartographers, Traditional Owners, language holders, and community members, Apple Maps will show reserves and Indigenous Protected Areas, Indigenous place names, Traditional Country, and dual-language labels. Indigenous lands place cards feature information about the local area and Traditional Owners, and can be curated to allow communities to add their own photos, destinations on their land, and text in their own language. Representation of Indigenous lands in Apple Maps provides users with a more comprehensive experience while also recognising the stories and significance behind them.
In New Zealand, Apple worked closely with Indigenous cartographers and several iwi (Māori tribes) to develop detailed place cards and map icons, including one for marae — a significant meeting place and cultural centre for Māori.
“For Tūhourangi, this partnership with Apple Maps is more than just a technological collaboration — it reflects our role as kaitiaki (caretakers), ensuring the protection and accurate representation of our cultural heritage,” said Annie Balle from Tūhourangi iwi. “By bringing our stories to a global audience, we can uphold our narratives, safeguard our data sovereignty, and demonstrate how Indigenous knowledge and technology can work together to promote cultural understanding and sustainability.”
In Australia, language data published by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) has been combined with information from local language holders, language centres, Aboriginal Land Trusts, and ranger groups to inform the updates in Apple Maps.
“Sharing our story and deep connection to the land is a meaningful moment for our community — a testament to our resilience, history, and vision for the future,” said Rodriguez Pindiying, a community member from Mamadawerre. “This isn’t just about geography; it’s about preserving our culture and ensuring Mamadawerre’s legacy for generations. Through Apple, we have the rare privilege of sharing our heritage on a global stage, reminding the world that no matter how distant we may seem, our connection to the land, to each other, and to the world is universal.”
Through MapKit, Apple Maps underpins many other parts of the Apple experience, so Indigenous lands will now show up in apps like Weather and Find My, as well as in third-party apps that use MapKit.
Extending Community Grants
Apple is deeply committed to supporting communities, with a focus on expanding access and opportunity, protecting the environment, and supporting students and teachers with the best tools and technology.
In Aotearoa New Zealand, Apple is building on its existing partnership with Te Pūkenga New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology — a vocational training and education organisation with 25 polytechnic and industry training divisions — to expand programming to even more teachers in Māori immersion schools, helping to equip students with essential skills. Through this initiative, educators gain access to technology, digital curricula, and ongoing learning support, and earn a new accreditation in digital technology.
Research conducted by the Māori and Indigenous Research Centre confirms the success of the program, finding it increases access to technology and opportunity for students in Māori schools, enhances digital fluency and confidence among educators, and nurtures a supportive community for teachers. Piloted with 10 schools in Auckland, the program will extend to an additional 12 schools in the Te Tai Tokerau Northland region, doubling the number of students reached, with resources provided in Te Reo Māori.
“Thanks to this partnership, I have gained confidence in my teaching practice, knowing that I can integrate the latest technology without feeling stuck in the past,” said Anihera Black, a teacher at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Kotuku. “Not only am I using these tools to support my cultural practice, but I am also teaching kids how to utilise the latest technology, particularly in Keynote, to enhance their learning and creativity.”
Elsewhere in New Zealand, grants from Apple support:
- Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, a Māori iwi based in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), and partners in the Revive Our Gulf project. The project helps restore the mussel reefs of the Hauraki Gulf, improve water quality, stabilise the seafloor, and restore biodiversity.
- Te Karanga, an organisation that supports young people excluded from mainstream education, and its Creative Pathways program. The program focuses on career exploration, entrepreneurship, and creativity for young people from the Māori and Pasifika communities.
- Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, a Māori iwi from the North Island, and its seaweed hatchery and carbon sequestration research project.
In Australia, Apple is deepening its work with the Karrkad Kanjdji Trust (KKT), established by Traditional Owners of the Warddeken and Djelk Indigenous Protected Areas across West and Central Arnhem Land. Since 2022, Apple has supported KKT’s Indigenous women’s ranger programs, which provide employment and leadership opportunities in remote communities. These programs foster the transfer of essential knowledge between generations of women, blending traditional and cultural practices with cutting-edge science, strengthening environmental regeneration efforts, and helping combat climate change.
Apple’s expanded support for KKT will help bolster current and upcoming community-owned education initiatives on-Country, including three new Homeland schools. This ensures First Nations families and rangers in remote communities have access to quality, full-time, bicultural learning, blending ancient and contemporary traditional knowledge with the Australian curriculum and modern technology.
“At Karrkad Kanjdji Trust, we know that caring for Country is a deeply interconnected practice — one that brings together people, culture, knowledge, and landscapes,” said Stacey Irving, KKT’s CEO. “This work is powerful because it weaves together First Nations leadership, traditional knowledge, science, technology, and community, creating a holistic approach to sustaining both people and place. It’s a privilege to work with organisations like Apple, who understand that real, lasting impact comes from embracing this multifaceted approach.”
Across Australia, grants from Apple also support:
- Worawa Aboriginal College, a boarding school in Victoria for young Aboriginal women who come from communities in urban, regional, and remote Australia. Apple is working with Elder in Residence Dr Lois Peeler AM and artist Dr Baden Pailthorpe to use iPad to deepen the students’ creativity as they preserve the school’s story and heritage.
- The Djamu Youth Justice Program, an initiative from the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Apple’s funding supports Indigenous young people in the justice system, creating meaningful connections to art and culture, and providing opportunities to learn about vocational pathways in the arts.
- ID. Know Yourself (IDKY), a not-for-profit organisation that supports Aboriginal children and families impacted by the out-of-home care, child protection, and justice system within Gadigal Country, Sydney, Australia. Through its partnership with Apple, IDKY is making technology accessible for the community, advancing skills development, and unlocking creativity.
- Common Ground, an organisation that’s using iPad to advance the storytelling capability of First Nations people to strengthen cultures, languages, and traditions.
Increasing Pathways to Education
Since teaming up with Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) to introduce iOS app development coding curriculum in 2017, Apple has collaborated with local educators and universities to expand opportunities for students to pursue careers in the thriving iOS app economy. In 2022, Apple introduced the Apple Foundation Program at RMIT and University of Technology Sydney, a four-week intensive course focused on the fundamentals of app development with Swift that’s available to students with no prior coding experience. Participants have gone on to create apps that are available on the App Store, pursue careers in app development, and deepen their coding expertise at Apple’s Developer Academy in Bali, Indonesia.
Through a new partnership with Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Apple is introducing a third Apple Foundation Program, housed in the university’s new City Campus and due to open early in 2026. Over 100 students are expected to go through the program in its first year, building on the university’s pledge to develop creative and critical thinking skills.
“ECU City is a prime location for the Apple Foundation Program, with its dynamic combination of business, creative industries, and technology providing a ripe environment for out-of-the-box thinking, innovation, and exploration,” said Professor Clare Pollock, ECU’s Vice-Chancellor. “The Apple Foundation Program at ECU will give our students the ability to learn more about the app development process, from problem solving and critical thinking, to user experience and design.”
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