Snapshot of our community funding 2024–2025

We have a number of ways that we give out this pūtea, and we are proud to share the amazing impact created by all of these groups.

Of the $999,500 in funding distributed this year, 44.86% or $448,390 went to Māori individuals or organisations, up from 35.97% in 2023–24 and 25.02% in 2022–23. 

Through these partnerships, we support a diverse range of initiatives – spanning digital equity, research, community engagement, ecosystem development, and network building. Because Internet issues are interconnected, collaboration across the ecosystem is essential. By funding and supporting this collective mahi, we help drive meaningful progress towards digital equity.

Our partners for 2024–25 include:

• Digital Futures Aotearoa
• Figure.NZ
• Katoa Connect
• New Zealand Policy Research Institute
• Tāiki e!
• Te Hapori Matihiko
• TUANZ

It’s been a big year for our partners. Check out some of the stories that highlight their mahi (work) in action:

• Digital Futures Aotearoa has shared a video showcasing how they’re empowering tamariki and kaiako with digital skills — sparking confidence, creativity, and meaningful connections along the way.
• Katoa Connect partnered with Collective Networks Aotearoa to deliver the Collective Currents Conference in October 2024, an event focused on currents of change, innovation, and community impact. 
• New Zealand Policy Research Institute has been deep in research mode, working on the next iteration of the World Internet Project, due to release later this year. (You can still check out findings from previous years in the meantime.)
• Tāiki e! Rolled up their sleeves with us to co-deliver a community funding round in Te Tairāwhiti, supporting collaboration, collective thinking and the devolution of power to the grassroots. One standout project saw kaumātua learning how to make use of Alexa devices – a powerful example of digital inclusion in action.
• Te Hapori Matihiko held Ngā Tohu Matihiko | The Matihiko Awards in 2024, and also began shaping the 2025 event. These were incredible celebrations of contributions to te ao matahiko — the digital world — in Aotearoa and beyond.
• TUANZ has been as active as ever, hosting events like the Rural Connectivity Symposium and Tech Users Summit, raising concerns about cybersecurity and the deregulation of the copper network, and launching a new strategic direction for the future.

Craig Young, CAE, Chief Executive Officer, TUANZ

“Our partnership with InternetNZ is much more than just having funding to support our mahi — it is a true partnership where we combine our voices when we can to magnify our impact. The financial contribution from InternetNZ enables us to fund a number of programmes, like our future leaders (FLINT) and our mahi with Māori and Pasifika (te ara hihiko), which we would not be able to deliver without it. It also ensures that we can continue to be a strong independent voice on behalf of all users of technology and communication services in Aotearoa.” 

Katie Brown, Te Hapori Matihiko

“Te Hapori Matihiko deeply appreciates our partnership with InternetNZ. This partnership has allowed us to run two Futures events in Wellington, Auckland and online, then develop our Futures report. This ensures our hapori is led by rangatahi aspirations and our strategy is guided by our collective vision for the future.

It has also allowed us to fund local meet-ups for our hapori members across the motu. These help us strengthen connections in the regions, and ensure that our hapori in tech have tautoko within their community. We have supported InternetNZ with sharing important and relevant pānui to our community of 1,200 Māori in digital and tech.” 

We continue to explore new ways to distribute funding that strengthen relationships, build ecosystems, encourage collaboration, and create lasting, positive change. Through proactive community engagement, we support groups working for public impact, so they can focus on their mahi, knowing we’re behind them.

We published a two-part blog sharing insights from a kōrero with some of these groups. You can read it here:

• Powering communities — sit down with community groups (pt. 1) 

• Powering communities — sit down with community groups (pt. 2) 

Some other highlights this year:

A better Internet means finding balance 

• Dr Alex Beattie of Te Herenga Waka completed timely research into digital disconnection, exploring why so many New Zealanders are finding it hard to switch off.

• Digital Discipline has also been actively addressing this space, delivering workshops in schools and workplaces to support those navigating social media overuse. 

• Digital educator and AI safety advocate Vivian Chandra hosted a practical 101-style webinar on deepfakes and AI for kaiako (teachers) of preteens and up. Using real-life examples, she shared smart, hands-on techniques for confidently bringing this complex topic into the classroom.

An Internet for everyone means building digital confidence

• All is for All piloted their 101 Content Creation Workshop for disabled creators, and have since been engaging with other tangata whaikaha (disbled-led) community groups to co-design a blueprint for growing the programme nationwide.

• Tōnui Collab’s Kōhine Robotics programme is helping address the disparity of kōhine Māori (young school-aged Māori girls) in tech. By building confidence with a range of technologies, participants also explore study and career pathways, and hear directly from wāhine thriving in tech.

• Puāwai Pūrau Academy completed its third year of working with ākonga Māori (Māori students) from Wairarapa high schools, exposing them to STEMM study and career pathways through site visits, guest speakers, engaging workshops, and fun competitions.

• Vaka has settled into their new home base in Manukau, continuing to open doors and minds to digital career pathways through hands-on education in 3D printing, modelling, and design.

• BlindLowVision NZ is working to improve their Alexa Skill, enhancing usability and accessibility for blind, low-vision, and deafblind users.
  
  

Blind Low Vision NZ

“On behalf of BLVNZ, thank you so much for the generous grant we received from InternetNZ toward our ‘Feasibility Investigation – Bedrock integration into BLVNZ Alexa Skill’ project. This will make a significant difference for our clients who use the Alexa Skill.”

All is for All 

"We want to take a moment to express our gratitude to InternetNZ and thank them for their support of this project. Thanks to their support, we were able to deliver an impactful pilot programme that has provided young disabled people with tools to be safe on the internet and feel confident when using social media."

Digital equity in Te Tairāwhiti

A big focus this year has been a place-based funding round in Te Tairāwhiti (the East Coast of Aotearoa). In close partnership with Tāiki E!, we’ve co-developed and implemented a new approach to funding — one that challenges traditional models, fosters collective thinking, and centres a shared vision of impact.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi has been central to this kaupapa. Guided by principles of Tātau Katoa, Tātau Kōtahi, Tātau Tātau (All of us together, One together, We together), the project design was intentionally flexible and emergent. Co-designing the funding approach through a high-trust partnership with Tāiki E! ensured that InternetNZ was not just a funder, but also a doer. 

This relational dynamic allowed us to work together in a way that was iterative, grounded in constant learning, and responsive to local needs. Tāiki E! played a pivotal role as the coordinating pou (central pillar) for this kaupapa, weaving together threads across multiple projects and organisations. 

At the heart of this kaupapa was a shift towards kotahitanga – a mindset of unity, resource sharing, collaboration and collective benefit. Investment in the ‘soft infrastructure’ of relationships helped foster a move from ‘me’ or ‘us’ to ‘we. The resulting grants are highly collaborative, bringing together established local organisations in a tuakana-teina (older-younger sibling or mentor-learner) mentoring model that supports small-scale innovation. 

This kaupapa also created space for us to spend meaningful time, kanohi ki te kanohi (face-to-face), with local leaders and innovators, listening to their aspirations and challenges around digital equity.

Tairāwhiti Environment Centre | Te Puna Taiao o te Tai Rawhiti

“So thankful for your team recognising the importance and value of this for our entire community! It was so lovely to meet you all. Excited to build on what we have already started, excited to be able to put our heads together with all the other key players and figure out the most effective and efficient ways to grow momentum in this space. Thank you so much for helping us to grow more resilient!” 

Hinemaurea Marae

“We are so excited about this kaupapa — thank you InternetNZ for this support, which we hope will be quite transformative not just for our marae, but marae throughout the region and indeed nation.” We look forward to sharing more about the grants and the outcomes of this kaupapa as they emerge.

Web accessibility

Following the success of our first-ever web accessibility grant round last year, we supported another 12 organisations in 2024 to prioritise making their websites more accessible. 

In our initial funding round, 55% of the pūtea (grants) was awarded to Tangata whaikaha-led (disabled-led) organisations and 45% to Māori organisations, reflecting our commitment to supporting priority groups. In this second cohort, recipients came from outside those groups, highlighting that improving accessibility is everyone’s responsibility. 

As one group described it, “Changes that help people with disabilities usually make a website better for everyone, including older adults, mobile users, and more.”

We’ve shared the list of funded organisations and offered, some reflections on what we’ve learned along the way:

• Grant announcement —  web accessibility

• Our insights into web accessibility

Migrant Against Acceptable Standard of Health Aotearoa (MAASHA)

“We appreciate the relational approach of the funding process. We are very grateful for the support InternetNZ has given us to increase accessibility of our website for our community.” 

Mīharo Murihiku Trust

"The impact of our work on improving website accessibility is substantial, leading to a more inclusive, user-friendly and engaging online presence. This commitment to accessibility reflects positively on our dedication to serving the community and supporting Māori and Pacific youth and community in the art space.” 

Past pūtea tautoko | Grants creating impact

We like to stay connected with the people and groups we’ve funded in previous years as they continue to grow their mahi, create impact, learn and share. Nurturing these relationships is an expression of our manaaki (care) and aroha (fondness) for the Internet community, and a way for us to foster hononga (connections) that strengthen the ecosystem.

Some recent highlights:

• D*List launched their brilliant web series, Clickbait & Crutches, which explores the intersection of disability and the Internet, with wit, insight and authenticity. They continue to publish outstanding disability-led content, reclaiming space and narrative through powerful storytelling and community-building. Well worth a read (and a watch).

• Dr Cara Swit, from the University of Canterbury (Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha), released timely research focused on helping rangatahi (young people) in Aotearoa thrive in a media-saturated world. One year on from the phone ban in schools, her findings offer valuable insights into how young people can navigate the digital environment in healthy and informed ways.

Grant reports can be found in our document library.