Snapshot of our community funding 2023–2024

InternetNZ | Ipurangi Aotearoa funding comes from the sale of .nz domain names. That means anyone who has a website ending in .nz contributes to the amazing positive public impact work that happens because of this pūtea | funding.

In 2023–24, the InternetNZ | Ipurangi Aotearoa Council approved $1.2 million in funding for public impact.

Contents

Highlights Investing in rangapū | partners Powering communities Pūtea | Grants

Highlights

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.

Across all funding, a total of $431,645 or 35.97% went to Māori organisations or individuals.

From 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024

$405,000

Partner funding

$364,500

Powering communities

three hands overlapping with a dollar sign

$430,426

Grants

Investing in rangapū | partners

Each year we work with trusted partner organisations whose vision and kaupapa align with our own. We continue to support our ecosystem by funding a broad range of partners in their mahi across digital equity, community support, research, and broadening networks.

We have continued to work closely with long-standing partners whose valuable kaupapa contributes so much to the Aotearoa Internet ecosystem. Plus, we have nurtured newer partnerships such as those with Te Ao Matihiko | Te Matarau and Tāiki e!.

Our partners for 2023–24 include:

Tāiki e!

“Partnering with InternetNZ has been instrumental in our mission to bridge the digital divide and empower communities in Te Tairawhiti and beyond. Through our collaboration, we have successfully supported the development of Haututu HackLab, a vibrant hub for innovation and creativity. Together, we are creating meaningful opportunities and transforming lives. We are grateful for InternetNZ's partnership and look forward to continuing our impactful work together.”

Powering communities

We are working towards better outcomes for Māori and other groups disproportionately impacted by issues on the Internet. This has spurred us on to explore more flexible, proactive ways of distributing pūtea that support tino rangatiratanga and lead to better outcomes and a better Internet for Aotearoa.

The changes have allowed us to fund more Māori-led groups and individuals and have resulted in the following streams:

Mahi Tahi | Collaborative Funding
Whakawhanake | Relationship Development
Hōtaka | Programmes
Hāpai te Ipurangi — Supporting Internet Technologies
Koha

We work hard to ensure robust processes that centre equity and reflect and uphold the values we want to foster within the Aotearoa Internet community. Recipients have appreciated our relational and people-centred approach.

Vaka

“I really take my hat off to the approach that InternetNZ has taken. I'm loving this approach and I'm hoping more funders take this kind of storytelling based method of reporting.”

Ngā Kura ā Iwi

“I just want to say how refreshing it is to take this approach to funding and reporting. I hope getting to kōrero with us and hear about the mahi directly also helps you to see the huge impact of this."

Read about some of the impacts of this work:

Pūtea | Grants

We provide contestable funding to support community-led initiatives that align with our strategic goals. This year, we distributed more than 50 grants under $10,000, and the outcomes will help make the Internet better for our people.

Digital equity and a better Internet for Aotearoa

Our main grant round of 2022–23 focused on supporting community initiatives working towards digital equity and a safer, more positive Internet. We received many more high-quality applications than we had funding to support. In recognition of this and with an appreciation of the hard work that goes into submitting grant applications, we drew on our 2023–24 budget to support a second cohort of grantees.

Check out the full list of digital equity grantees.

Conference attendance awards

After long periods of people being unable to travel internationally, we reopened conference attendance awards, enabling people to connect to their sectors. Successful recipients sought to engage in shaping the future of the Internet for Aotearoa, both locally and internationally. Plus it was a chance for them to gain expertise and experience that benefits the New Zealand Internet community and the development of the Internet in Aotearoa.

We shared some conference attendance highlights.

Māoriland Charitable Trust

“On behalf of Toi Matarau and the Māoriland Charitable Trust, I extend great gratitude for the financial support granted so that we could make the trip to New Mexico. The experience, insights, and learning were invaluable to our growth and development as a centre of innovation and excellence.

"E kore e mutu ngā mihi, mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu.”

Check out the full list of conference attendance grantees.

Web accessibility

We ran our first-ever grant round to support web accessibility. Web accessibility is a critical element within the wider mission of digital equity. The response was overwhelming, with 10 times as many applications as the funding could support. Our funding in this space is small compared to the massive need, but we are glad to support groups to prioritise accessibility within their work. We would love to see the standard raised across all .nz domain names so that we can be proud that .nz is inclusive and empowering.

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive:

Insight Endometriosis Charitable Trust

"Amazing little project!! Would just like to say a huge thanks for this funding. We have been wanting to do this mahi for a very very long time. Your funding 100% enabled it to go ahead, and will change lives for a cohort facing multiple barriers to accessing empowering information."

Taki Rua Productions

"Taki Rua Productions is deeply thankful for InternetNZ’s support to help us fully translate the website into te reo Māori. It provides critical accessibility for those of our audiences who speak te reo Māori as their first language."

Check out the full list of web accessibility grantees.

What’s next for pūtea tautoko | grants

Alongside these open contestable grant rounds, we have been cooking up something new for the next financial year, 2024–25. We have spent time in wānanga with our partners and key community leaders, exploring community-led decision-making models with the intention of challenging existing philanthropic models by devolving power. This has led to us working with Tāiki e! to co-design a place-based incubator-style funding model that will support tino rangatiratanga (independence) and mana motuhake (self-determination).

Over time, testing models will enable InternetNZ to learn what works well in community-led spaces. We will have relationships that enable us to tap into community insights and collaborate for better impact. We will share what we learn with a view to connecting and influencing the wider philanthropic and grant-making community on funding shared outcomes.

Past pūtea tautoko | grants creating impact

An important part of our kaupapa is staying in touch with people who received funding in previous years as they progress their mahi, create impact, and learn. Engaging with these groups regularly enables us to nurture relationships, express manaakitanga and build a sense of community.

We share their stories and insights regularly through our blogs, check out some highlights:

Grant reports can be found in our document library.

Contact us

If you have any pātai about InternetNZ funding, email us at funding@internetnz.net.nz