If there’s one thing we know for sure, COVID-19 has accelerated the pace of digital transformation in companies across New Zealand, and the Cloud has played a critical role in helping organisations build for the future.
Today we’re pleased to share that we’re investing in our cloud infrastructure to provide best-in-class connectivity to Google Cloud customers in New Zealand and Australia.
First, we’re bringing a Dedicated Cloud Interconnectto Auckland this month. This will provide direct physical connections between an organisation’s on-premises network and Google's global network, thereby making it easier for customers to access a range of Google Cloud products and services.
Secondly, we’re launching our Melbourne Cloud region today, our second within ANZ since we launched our Sydney region in 2017. Designed for high availability, the region opens with three zones which enables us to deliver two geographically separated cloud regions to our Kiwi customers to meet IT and business requirements for disaster recovery while maintaining the reliability of their data.
Collectively, these investments will deliver geographically distributed and secure infrastructure to customers across New Zealand, enabling them to take advantage of the cleanest cloud in the industry.
Trade Me talked about their decision to migrate from their on-premise data centers to run on Google Cloud. Paolo Ragone, Chief Technology Officer said, “We moved to Google Cloud to improve the stability and resilience of our infrastructure and become more cloud-native as part of a digital transformation program that keeps the customer at the heart of our business. We welcome Google Cloud’s investment in ANZ and what they present to improve Trade Me’s agility and performance.”
As organisations continue to look to cloud services to drive the digital transformation of their businesses. Google Cloud is here to help businesses become smarter with data, deploy faster, connect more easily with people and customers throughout the globe, and protect everything that matters to their businesses. Our investments in connectivity and cloud infrastructure are a catalyst for this change, and we look forward to seeing how customers and partners grow, innovate, and drive digital transformation forward in the region.
Post content Posted by Matthew Zwolenski, Director of Cloud Customer Engineering, Australia & New Zealand.
Last year, we announced that we are building YouTube Shorts, a short-form video experience for anyone who wants to create short, catchy videos using nothing but their mobile phones. Since then, we’ve expanded our beta to 26 more countries and have already seen many creative, awesome Shorts from our community.
We’re excited to share that YouTube Shorts is going global. We’re now rolling out our beta across more than 100 countries around the world where YouTube is available — including Australia.
We plan to introduce more features as we continue to build Shorts alongside creators and artists. Here’s an update on what to expect from YouTube Shorts as it rolls out.
Unlocking a new playground of creativity
Creation is at the core of short-form video, and we want to make it easy and fun to create Shorts. Shorts already includes foundational creation tools like a multi-segment camera to string multiple video clips together, the ability to record with music, control speed settings, and more. As we continue to build Shorts alongside our creators and artists, we’ve added more features to try, like:
Add text to specific points in your video
Sample audio from other Shorts to remix into your own creation
Automatically add captions to your Short
Record up to 60 seconds with the Shorts camera
Add clips from your phone’s gallery to add to your recordings made with the Shorts camera
Add basic filters to colour correct your Shorts, with more effects to come in the future
We’ve also been starting to roll out the ability to sample audio from videos across YouTube - which includes billions of videos worldwide - unlocking a new playground of creativity like never before. This means you can give your own creative spin on the content you love to watch on YouTube and help find it a new audience — whether it’s reacting to your favourite jokes, trying your hand at a creator’s latest recipe, or re-enacting comedic skits. Creators will be in control and will be able to opt out if they don’t want their long form video remixed.
We’ve also worked alongside our music partners to make sure artists and creators have a large library of songs to use in their Shorts. As we expand Shorts, the library and number of partners will continue to grow.
Stay tuned for more creation tools rolling out in the future as we continue to build Shorts.
Delivering a seamless viewing experience across YouTube
We know that creation is only one part of the Shorts experience. We also want to help people find Shorts to enjoy and help creators get discovered. We’ve introduced a row on the YouTube homepage especially for Shorts, have launched a new watch experience that lets you easily swipe vertically from one video to the next, and will soon add a Shorts tab on mobile that makes it easier for you to watch Shorts with a single tap.
We’re also exploring how to deepen your connection with Shorts content, creators, and artists you’re most interested in by integrating it with the YouTube you already know and love. For instance, if you hear a snippet of a song on Shorts, you can easily find the full song, watch the music video, or learn more about the artist — all on YouTube. And it works both ways. Tap the create button right from a video to make your own Short with that audio, or check out how others are using it on Shorts.
As more people create and watch Shorts, we expect that our systems will get even better, improving our ability to help you discover new content, trends, and creators you’ll love.
Supporting mobile creators
YouTube has helped an entire generation of creators turn their creativity into businesses and become the next generation media companies. Over the last three years, we’ve paid more than US$30 billion to creators, artists, and media companies.
Shorts is a new way to watch and create on YouTube, so we’ve been taking a fresh look at what it means to monetise Shorts and reward creators for their content. We are deeply committed to supporting the next generation of mobile creators with Shorts, and are actively working on what monetisation options will look like in the future.
As our first step in this journey, we recently introduced the YouTube Shorts Fund, a US$100M fund distributed over the course of 2021-2022.
The Shorts beta is rolling out globally and will be available to everybody soon. We know that it will take us time to get this right, but we can't wait for you to try Shorts and help us build a first-class short-form video experience right on YouTube.
Last year, we announced that we are building YouTube Shorts, a short-form video experience for anyone who wants to create short, catchy videos using nothing but their mobile phones. Since then, we’ve expanded our beta to 26 more countries and have already seen many creative, awesome Shorts from our community.
We’re excited to share that YouTube Shorts is going global. We’re now rolling out our beta across more than 100 countries around the world where YouTube is available, including New Zealand.
We plan to introduce more features as we continue to build Shorts alongside creators and artists. Here’s an update on what to expect from YouTube Shorts as it rolls out here.
Unlocking a new playground of creativity
Creation is at the core of short-form video, and we want to make it easy and fun to create Shorts. Shorts already includes foundational creation tools like a multi-segment camera to string multiple video clips together, the ability to record with music, control speed settings, and more. As we continue to build Shorts alongside our creators and artists, we’ve added more features to try, like:
Add text to specific points in your video
Sample audio from other Shorts to remix into your own creation
Automatically add captions to your Short
Record up to 60 seconds with the Shorts camera
Add clips from your phone’s gallery to add to your recordings made with the Shorts camera
Add basic filters to colour correct your Shorts, with more effects to come in the future
We’ve also been starting to roll out the ability to sample audio from videos across YouTube - which includes billions of videos worldwide - unlocking a new playground of creativity like never before. This means you can give your own creative spin on the content you love to watch on YouTube and help find it a new audience — whether it’s reacting to your favourite jokes, trying your hand at a creator’s latest recipe, or re-enacting comedic skits. Creators will be in control and will be able to opt out if they don’t want their long form video remixed.
We’ve also worked alongside our music partners to make sure artists and creators have a large library of songs to use in their Shorts. As we expand Shorts, the library and number of partners will continue to grow.
Stay tuned for more creation tools rolling out in the future as we continue to build Shorts.
Image of YouTube Shorts on mobile
Delivering a seamless viewing experience across YouTube
We know that creation is only one part of the Shorts experience. We also want to help people find Shorts to enjoy and help creators get discovered. We’ve introduced a row on the YouTube homepage especially for Shorts, have launched a new watch experience that lets you easily swipe vertically from one video to the next, and will soon add a Shorts tab on mobile that makes it easier for you to watch Shorts with a single tap.
We’re also exploring how to deepen your connection with Shorts content, creators, and artists you’re most interested in by integrating it with the YouTube you already know and love. For instance, if you hear a snippet of a song on Shorts, you can easily find the full song, watch the music video, or learn more about the artist —all on YouTube. And it works both ways. Tap the create button right from a video to make your own Short with that audio, or check out how others are using it on Shorts.
As more people create and watch Shorts, we expect that our systems will get even better, improving our ability to help you discover new content, trends, and creators you’ll love.
Supporting mobile creators
YouTube has helped an entire generation of creators turn their creativity into businesses and become the next generation media companies. Over the last three years, we’ve paid more than $30 billion to creators, artists, and media companies.
Shorts is a new way to watch and create on YouTube, so we’ve been taking a fresh look at what it means to monetise Shorts and reward creators for their content. We are deeply committed to supporting the next generation of mobile creators with Shorts, and are actively working on what monetisation options will look like in the future.
As our first step in this journey, we recently introduced the YouTube Shorts Fund, a $100M fund distributed over the course of 2021-2022.
The Shorts beta is rolling out globally and will be available to everybody soon. We know that it will take us time to get this right, but we can't wait for you to try Shorts and help us build a first-class short-form video experience right on YouTube.
Post Content Posted by YouTube Australia and New Zealand Team.
Since 2012, Google Play has been your place to find and enjoy apps, games, movies, TV shows, and books. More than 2 billion people in 190 countries use Google Play to discover blockbuster movies, apps that help you be more productive, and books that inspire imagination.
To show our appreciation, we created a rewards program called Google Play Points that lets you earn points and rewards for the ways you already use Google Play. Over the past two years, millions of people in Japan, South Korea, the US, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Australia have joined the program. Starting this week, Google Play Points is launching in New Zealand.
It’s free to join, and you can earn Play Points to use for special items and discounts in top games or for Google Play Credit to use on movies, books, games, and apps.
Play your way and earn points
With Google Play Points, you’ll earn points on everything you buy with Google Play, including in-app items, movies, books, subscriptions and more. Weekly points events can boost your earning rate on movies, books, and select games.
Google Play Points has four levels, from Bronze to Platinum. Your level depends on how many points you’ve collected, and higher levels have perks like weekly prizes.
Redeem your Play Points how you’d like
We’re partnering with developers of some of the top apps and games on Google Play so that you can redeem points for special in-app items like characters, gems and more. You can also use Play Points for Google Play Credit and rent an award-winning movie or buy a best-selling audiobook.
Join for free
Google Play Points will be available over the next week. It’s free to join, there is no recurring or monthly fee, and you’ll earn three times the Play Points on everything you buy your first week. To get started, visit Google Play. Tap menu, then Play Points. Learn more about Play Points--and get ready to earn points and rewards.
Post content Posted by Elena Chen, Product Manager.
Every day, YouTube helps Australians learn new skills, start businesses, and enrich their lives. And this felt particularly true in 2020, when Australians turned to YouTube to learn, be entertainment or stay active with at-home fitness classes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I personally tuned into a lot of YBS Youngbloods to escape into the Aussie wilderness, I got tips from Self Sufficient Me to upgrade my veggie garden, and I followed Dr Matt & Dr Mike to learn more about COVID-19.
The YouTube creative ecosystem contributed A$608 million to the Australian economy and supported 15,750 full time equivalent jobs in 2020.
YouTube creators (regardless of whether they are independent creative entrepreneurs*, media companies or the music industry) benefit from income that is generated directly via YouTube, for example, as advertising income or license fees. And we can see that the number of YouTube channels making five figures or more in revenue is up more than 30% year over year.
In addition, YouTube helps many creators earn income from additional sources - whether that’s generating revenue by promoting a brand on video, or selling more of a product thanks to their YouTube profile. This off-platform income leads to further economic effects: for the creators themselves, across the corresponding Australian supply chains - as creators purchase goods for filming or pay for services like video editing - and, in turn, through expenses by employees.
What did we learn about YouTube Creators?
Australian creators are finding opportunities and audiences on YouTube, often leading to new doorways opening away from the platform. The report showed:
67% of creative entrepreneurs said YouTube has had a positive impact on their professional goals.
68% of creators agreeing YouTube gives them the opportunity to work in a way that suits their needs.
50% of creative entrepreneurs indicated YouTube had brought them additional opportunities away from the platform.
Chloe Ting is just one of our homegrown stars and now one of the biggest fitness YouTube creators in the world. Her channel gained more than 14 million subscribers in 2020 alone, as she inspired a global movement of people staying healthy, connected and uplifted, particularly during COVID-19. Her accessible virtual classes and challenges not only help people move their bodies, but support their mental health by giving them a sense of belonging and a place to feel supported.
How are businesses using YouTube?
YouTube has become a significant tool for small and medium sized businesses (SMBs). Through their own channel, targeted adverts or simply from watching YouTube content, businesses use YouTube to grow sales, connect with customers, and become more competitive.
75% of SMBs who advertise on YouTube agreed that YouTube ads have helped them grow sales.
63% of SMBs with a YouTube channel agreed their YouTube presence helps customers to find them.
75% of SMBs agreed or strongly agreed that YouTube is a convenient and cost-effective way of providing staff training.
68% of users agree YouTube has helped them learn about new career paths.
When Sanjna Pathania’s morning routine video working for "The Big Four" went viral on YouTube, the former risk management consultant set out to help young Aussies kick start their career by sharing her corporate lifestyle and the lessons she had learned along the way. Now, Success by Sanjna is a one-stop shop for young people to get job-ready, and her strategies and insights are so in-demand, she’s left behind the corporate world and used her channel to launch a professional development consulting service. It’s all part of her mission to support a generation of confident and ambitious goal-chasers.
Who are our creators? What are they saying?
Anyone can become a creator - all you need is an idea or a passion. YouTube offers people with different backgrounds, of any age and from all parts of Australia the opportunity to share their voice. Because of this open culture, YouTube has now become a kind of content library. This content not only has the potential to generate a social dialogue and build new communities, but also to drive social change.
76% of creators agreed that YouTube provides a platform for undiscovered talent that is not being surfaced by traditional media.
64% of creators who self-identified as a minority agreed that they feel like they have a place to belong as a YouTube creator.
77% of users agreed that YouTube is home to diverse content.
Each day, YouTube allows millions of new voices to be heard and stories to be told, and provides a place to belong for people around the world. Feeling alienated and alone when she was diagnosed with autism, Chloé Hayden channelled her emotions into building a YouTube channel that welcomes - and celebrates - diverse Australian voices in a safe and comforting space. Chloé’s channel is a place for people to find safety, share their experiences and offer support to each other. And her 33 thousand subscribers are more than her audience - they’re her inspiration and championing their stories helps the 23-year-old change the mindsets of the wider community and normalise discussions around disabilities.
Is local culture being exported?
Australian creators and artists punch above their weight and are receiving local and global recognition. And we’re proud that, whether it’s amplifying local voices like Baker Boy or promoting uniquely Aussie content like Brinkley Davies, YouTube has enabled homegrown talent to access audiences around the world. In fact, the report has shown us:
97% of music and media companies with a YouTube channel agreed that the platform helps them reach new audiences across the world.
Over 90% of watch time on content produced by Australian channels came from outside Australia in 2020.
What did we find in terms of “learning”?
More and more people are coming to YouTube to access information and learn something new, and with over 500 hours of video uploaded every minute, there are constantly new learning opportunities at people’s fingertips. In both private and professional life, YouTube enables Australians to acquire a wide range of skills and knowledge - to save money, gain qualifications or even make a career jump.
Dr Matt & Dr Mike are one example of creators helping audiences expand their minds. The lecturers unpack the mysteries of science in front of hundreds of thousands of people and democratise education through their fun and easy-to-understand YouTube tutorials. They first created their short videos as extra student resources, but their simple and relatable style soon triggered a world-wide reaction, and the pair are now on a mission to give everyone free access to world-class science and medical education.
From teachers to parents, to small businesses and students, YouTube is enabling Australian users to acquire a wide range of skills and knowledge.
70% of teachers who use YouTube agreed that the platform gives students the flexibility to learn at their own pace.
71% of parents who use YouTube agreed that YouTube (or YouTube Kids for children under 13) makes learning more fun for their children.
77% of users agree YouTube has helped them supplement their formal education.
92% of users said they use YouTube to gather information and knowledge.
These acquired skills and knowledge don’t go to waste. Leo Bailey turned to YouTube tutorials to teach himself how to make a range of different products after buying his first 3D printer. But when he saw a call-out for health-care supplies during COVID-19, the 13-year-old focused his attention towards making essential PPE supplies for hospitals across the state. During the pandemic, Leo made more than 100 masks for health staff and touchless ‘button pushers’ for local residents to use in public spaces to avoid directly touching surfaces.
To read more about Australian creators and the report findings at yt.be/howyoutubeworks.
*The term creative entrepreneur here stands for YouTube creators, regardless of their gender identity, with at least 10,000 subscribers on their largest channel and for creators with fewer subscribers who receive funds directly from YouTube, generate funds from other sources with their YouTube videos and / or permanently employ other people to support their YouTube activities.
About Oxford Economics: Oxford Economics was founded in 1981 as a joint venture of Oxford University's Business College to provide economic forecasting and models for UK companies and financial institutions planning to expand abroad. Since its inception, the organisation has grown into one of the leading global and independent consulting firms in the world, providing reports, forecasting and analysis tools in over 200 countries, 250 industries and 7,000 cities and regions.
With headquarters in Oxford, England and regional centers in Frankfurt, London, New York and Singapore, Oxford Economics employs 400 full-time employees, including 250 economists, industry experts and business writers. The highly qualified team offers a wide range of research techniques and has groundbreaking expertise, including in areas such as econometric modeling, scenario framing and impact analyses, but also market surveys, case studies, expert panels and web analyses.
Posted by Ed Miles, Director, YouTube Partnerships, Australia and New Zealand
Now, more than ever, it’s important that we support Kiwi teachers and ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and resources they need to succeed. A recent survey of Kiwi teachers revealed that only 7% had the knowledge and skills to introduce computer science (CS) curriculum in the classroom. Understanding, creating and using technology are critical skills for all students and teachers, regardless of where in Aotearoa they live.
Google’s Educator PD Grants program has been running in New Zealand since 2011 and, in that time, has trained over 20,000 teachers. The program aims to equip teachers through practical professional development workshops, with the skills and resources they need to confidently teach computational thinking and computer science concepts in new and exciting ways.
The impact of PD Grants for Educators
One of the workshops to benefit from the grants is CS4HS.
CS4HS workshops aim to support teachers to build their skills in STEM and digital technologies, to find creative ways to deliver lessons in the classroom and to tap into the enthusiasm that many students have for technology.
Dr Mahsa Mohaghegh is the organiser of CS4HS, which has received funding from Google since 2013.
“The purpose of the conference is to upskill our valuable high school educators by presenting ideas to engage students with new technologies so students can be better equipped for the needs of twenty-first century learning and jobs,” Dr Mahsa says. “We have heard year after year from teachers how valuable the workshop is for them and for some it is the only professional development in the year.”
We’re excited to announce the following 2021 CS Educator Grants Awardees, who, like Mahsa, will motivate and inspire educators around New Zealand.
2021 CS Educator Grants Funding Recipients in New Zealand
Now, more than ever, it’s important that we support Kiwi teachers and ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and resources they need to succeed. A recent survey of Kiwi teachers revealed that only 7% had the knowledge and skills to introduce computer science (CS) curriculum in the classroom. Understanding, creating and using technology are critical skills for all students and teachers, regardless of where in Aotearoa they live.
Google’s Educator PD Grants program has been running in New Zealand since 2011 and, in that time, has trained over 20,000 teachers. The program aims to equip teachers through practical professional development workshops, with the skills and resources they need to confidently teach computational thinking and computer science concepts in new and exciting ways.
The impact of PD Grants for Educators
One of the workshops to benefit from the grants is CS4HS.
CS4HS workshops aim to support teachers to build their skills in STEM and digital technologies, to find creative ways to deliver lessons in the classroom and to tap into the enthusiasm that many students have for technology.
Dr Mahsa Mohaghegh is the organiser of CS4HS, which has received funding from Google since 2013.
“The purpose of the conference is to upskill our valuable high school educators by presenting ideas to engage students with new technologies so students can be better equipped for the needs of twenty-first century learning and jobs,” Dr Mahsa says. “We have heard year after year from teachers how valuable the workshop is for them and for some it is the only professional development in the year.”
We’re excited to announce the following 2021 CS Educator Grants Awardees, who, like Mahsa, will motivate and inspire educators around New Zealand.
2021 CS Educator Grants Funding Recipients in New Zealand
Teaching students computer science without a computer. Reaching offline Senior citizens learning how to connect during a national lockdown. Helping small business owners get their business online.
For many years we’ve been working to ensure Kiwis get the digital skills they need to succeed in our increasingly online world. This is a necessary task, as research shows that by 2025 as many as 149 million new digital technology jobs are expected to be created worldwide.
Released today, our 2020 Community Engagement Report which has been compiled by Social Ventures Australia, highlights the ways in which communities across Aotearoa such as students and teachers, small businesses have built digital capabilities and confidence - with support from Google.
Innovative Digital Skills Programmes
We’re proud of the programmes we’ve been running and supporting, aimed at helping Kiwis acquire new skills to succeed in an increasingly digitised world. Many of our initiatives support marginalised or traditionally excluded groups such as Māori and Pasifika communities, women and older New Zealanders.
Lifting educator’s capacity to teach Computer Science (CS) to build a future pipeline of talent is one of the key areas our skilling programmes are designed for. The Manaiakalani Education Trust’s Digital Fluency Intensive is designed to empower teachers in low decile schools to effectively and creatively teach CS. We’ve been supporting this programme since 2013, and studies show that after three years in a Manaiakalani school young people make up to two times the expected progress in a school year when compared with the national average.
Resilient Home Grown Businesses
In order to support New Zealand’s economic recovery, we’re helping small businesses, the nonprofit sector and Aotearoa’s newsrooms to harness the benefits of technologies. Local business consultancy The Icehouse received funds via Youth Business International’s Covid-19 Rapid Response and Recovery initiative funded by Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, to provide guidance and emergency relief to Kiwi entrepreneurs impacted by COVID-19 and they focussed on supporting small businesses run by women, young people and migrants which secured 280 jobs.
Last year 76 local news organisations across New Zealand and the Pacific received emergency relief from the Google News Initiative, because we saw it as critical to support local reporting during a crisis. And 78% of nonprofit organisations rated Google’s products as critical or important to their organisation during 2020, playing a critical role in adapting or changing their outreach programmes, showing the impact of Google for Nonprofits.
Support to Address COVID-19
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we worked closely with the New Zealand Government, by mobilising resources across Search, Maps and YouTube, to drive unified action and support for the national COVID-19 response. The donation of NZ$8.5 million of Google Ads – to the New Zealand Government, not-for-profits and small businesses – helped authorities to elevate critical information and trustworthy resources and ensured Kiwis could easily find information they needed.
With the increasing speed at which Kiwis are accessing information, the role of digitisation should not decrease the quality, especially in times of need. We know that the spread of misinformation erodes public trust in news, and government for example, so we’ve continued to work in partnerships to help communities find the latest health information about COVID-19 when Kiwis need it most.
We’ll continue to find unique and impactful ways to support New Zealanders in their digitisation, so that people around New Zealand – whether they are students, businesses, not-for-profits, educators, researchers or creators – are able to not just survive but thrive in the digital world.
Post content Posted by Caroline Rainsford, Country Director Google New Zealand.
Accessibility text: gif animation of different hands holding a phone with a Woolaroo translation on the screen
Today, I’m proud to announce the launch of Woolaroo, a new Google Arts & Culture experiment using the Cloud Vision API.
Woolaroo is open source and allows language communities to preserve and expand their language word lists and add audio recordings to help with pronunciation. The technology was first innovated in the development of Spark’s breakthrough Kupu App in New Zealand in 2018, to support the revitalisation of te reo Māori (the Māori language). Now, with the launch of Woolaroo, 10 global languages are supported including Louisiana Creole, Calabrian Greek, te reo Māori, Tamazight, Sicilian, Yang Zhuang, Rapa Nui, Yiddish and Yugambeh.
When Dr Tania Ka’ai, Chair of Te Murumāra Foundation was invited to work on this project she first wanted to meet with the Yugambeh people of Australia. “I saw it as important to ensure that we recognise proper cultural protocols even when living in a digital world. As namesakes of Woolaroo, we were being invited into their space and so meeting, even virtually, was the right place to begin.”
The Te Murumāra Foundation was integral to the development of the Kupu App, through the sharing of the Te Aka Māori Dictionary to power the translations and guiding the translation process and campaign alongside Spark NZ. Dr Tania Ka’ai, Te Murumāra Foundation's Chair was also closely involved in the development of Woolaroo and said, “This work is incredibly important for showcasing how digital platforms can make Te Reo and other endangered languages more accessible and interactive for both Kiwis and people all over the world. At Te Murumāra Foundation we’re continuing to evolve and develop in our commitment to sharing te reo Māori resources, and this next evolution of the technology and scale of reach is truly exciting for indigenous languages all over the world.”
Woolaroo was co-developed by RUSH, one of New Zealand’s most innovative digital product studios. RUSH took on the project to help use innovative technologies like Machine Learning, Machine Vision and the power of the Cloud in a project that aligned so closely to its purpose statement; to design technology to better serve humankind.
RUSH founder, Danushka Abeysuriya says: “A more globalised and fast-evolving technological world has played a role in shrinking use of native languages. Given the challenges the world faces ahead in climate change, social equity, sustainability and co-operation - there are powerful lessons to be learned from indigenous cultures and the embodied values these languages and cultures have to offer. This is why we are proud to apply technology to this task. It’s in everyone’s best interest to not let these languages fade away.”
All of the languages on Woolaroo are a crucial aspect of a community’s cultural heritage. If you, your grandparents or people in your community speak any of these languages – even if just a few words – by giving it a go, you can help to expand the growing coverage of Woolaroo.
We hope people will enjoy learning and interacting with a language that is new to you and in turn learn about the diversity of communities and heritage we all share together.
Starting today, World Press Freedom Day, people around the world can discover 60 images from 60 of Australia’s best photojournalists online on Google Arts & Culture, thanks to a new partnership with Head On Foundation.
To celebrate this new collection, we sat down with Moshe Rosenzveig OAM, Founder and Artistic Director of the Head On Photo Festival, to learn more about the important moments these photographs capture and the incredible stories behind them.
“The 60 images selected represent a small snippet of what Australia was like over the past four decades. Images that defined modern Australia, images that reflect the culture we live in, images that make political statements and images of diverse aspects of our world,” said Head On Foundation Director, Moshe Rosenzveig OAM.
With so many moments to explore, here are Moshe’s 12 picks to get you started:
Mervyn Bishop's historic 1975 image captures then Prime Minister Gough Whitlam pouring a handful of earth back into the hand of Gurindji elder and traditional landowner Vincent Lingiari. This image represented the Australian government’s recognition of Aboriginal land rights and became an icon of the land rights movement and Australian photography.
Tim Page’s world-renowned photograph of the Vietnam War. Defining him as the war photographer of a generation, it was taken just weeks after arriving in Vietnam in 1965 and shows a grieving widow as her husband’s body is carried off a chopper.
Louise Kennerley’s intimate portrait of a couple was taken just a few days before Parliament passed the same-sex marriage act. Ian and Neville sit hand in hand, excited and nervous at the prospect of being married after 39 years together.
Alex Coppel’s image of Paralympian Ahmed Kelly underwater and in motion, his prosthetics on the sideline, as he trains at the Victorian Institute of Sport in Melbourne, ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Justin McManus’ portrait of Yindjibarndi man, Landon Punch, holding a joey he will hand-raise makes a poignant comment on the effects of police violence and neglect in custody for First Nations Australians.
Martine Perret’s beautiful image ‘Levi and Keneisha’, taken as a part of her project Ngala Wongga (come and talk): Cultural Significance of Languages in the Western Australian Goldfields it captures local woman, Glenys Williams grandchildren floating in the clay pan around the Wiluna Mission.
“I am thrilled for Head On to partner with Google Arts & Culture - this is such an important platform that ensures arts and culture can continue to thrive and fulfil their vital role in our society. Anyone, anywhere, can see excellent photography in a COVID-19 safe way at a time and place that suits them,” said Head On Foundation Director, Moshe Rosenzveig OAM.
