Computer game-makers would get grants worth $9 million over three years under the Greens' ICT policy released today.

Co-leader Russel Norman said game developers were "locked out" of grants schemes and the party aimed to remedy the anomaly.

The proposed Games Development Fund would be part of a $30m package to boost the wider information and communications technology industry that would also include $15m over three years for internships.

Government agencies would have to report how much of their IT budgets they directed towards local suppliers, Norman said.

The Game Developers Association said an annual survey of its members released today showed that sales of locally developed computer games and applications more than doubled to $80m in the year to March, with more than 90 per cent of the revenue earned from exports.

The 30 firms surveyed employed 450 fulltime staff and hundreds of part-timers, the association said.

However, chairman Ben Kenobi said the association was concerned about a lack of startups in the industry, which had to compete globally from "day one" to succeed.

New Zealanders spent more than $295m on interactive games each year, and domestic production paled in comparison to Finland's interactive games industry, which achieved sales of more than US$3 billion last year, he said.

Internet Party leader Laila Harre told a conference of business leaders on Monday that hi-tech exports were on track to exceed dairy exports by about 2027 and "dominate all exports by about 2040".

She said the pace of growth could not be maintained without "a significant change of perspective" and funding changes.

Most children were leaving school ill-equipped for the digital age, and a review of the status and content of digital technologies within the New Zealand curriculum was long overdue, she said.

Harre appeared to borrow one policy idea from Labour, saying Internet-Mana wanted to introduce "ideas grants" of $10,000 to help entrepreneurs get started.

The grants would supplement "bootstrapping" or replace what people typically raised from family and friends, she said.

Up to 500 of the grants would be offered each year.

Labour proposed a similar system of $10,000 "garage grants" in July, and $12.6m over three years to train 1200 interns.

National leader John Key said the gaming industry is "really important" but he didn't think it necessary to put money in the way the Greens propose.

"It should be able to stand on its own two feet and most software companies do," he said.