Snapshot of our community funding 2025–2026

We are excited to shine a light on the remarkable difference the groups we support with .nz funding are making.

This year, we distributed $1,000,000 in pūtea (funding). 

We have worked closely with Māori partners to explore different funding approaches and to more meaningfully centre Te Tiriti o Waitangi in our organisation, in alignment with our strategic goals. Funding to Māori partners or entities is a minimum of 40 percent of available community funding in 2025–26. 

Our partners for 2025–26 include:

• Digital Futures Aotearoa
• Figure.NZ
• Katoa Connect
• AUT NZ Policy Research Institute (NZPRI)
• Tāiki e!
• Te Hapori Matihiko
• TUANZ (Tech Users Association)
• Digital Equity Coalition Aotearoa (DECA)

Our partners play a vital role in building an Internet that benefits Aotearoa New Zealand and advancing digital equity. Check out some standout moments from their mahi (work) this year:

• AUT NZPRI released the latest World Internet Project, a global study of the social, economic and cultural impacts of the Internet and digital technologies. 

• DECA undertook significant initiatives to support communities during the 3G network shutdown, providing guidance and resources. They also ran the inaugural No Tech Day to raise awareness of digital inequity. 

• Digital Futures Aotearoa celebrated the fifth anniversary of Recycle a Device (RAD).

• Tāiki e! has been an essential backbone to our grant funding in Te Tairāwhiti. We are happy to see Haututu Hack Lab continue to grow, encourage innovation, empower creators, and help the community thrive.

• Te Hapori Matihiko brought people together in a series of events across the motu and online, and fostered a thriving Māori technology community through scholarships, awards, education and research.

• TUANZ continue to push for 100% digital connectivity with events and advocacy, reports such as Connecting Aotearoa 2025 and nurturing future leaders through FLINT.

Nurturing young minds 

Several groups we funded focus on nurturing young minds and supporting rangatahi to explore pathways into STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and mātauranga Māori) in safe and culturally empowering ways: Vaka, Oranga Matihiko, Ngā Kura a Iwi o Aotearoa and Puāwai Pūrau STEMM Academy.

Puāwai Pūrau STEMM Academy is a community-led, voluntary programme supporting Wairarapa rangatahi Māori to explore STEMM outside the classroom. The programme launched in 2022 by Waireka Collings, a Wairarapa-based Māori leader, whānau advocate, and māmā. 

“By hearing these role model stories first-hand, our rangatahi can see people who look like them, come from their communities, and are forging careers in fields that once felt out of reach,” Waireka says. “This helps make those futures feel real and achievable.”

Read the more about Puāwai Pūrau STEMM Academy's work on this page.

We are looking forward to Te Ahi Orokohanga, a live-streamed Māori e-sports event run by Ngā Kura a Iwi o Aotearoa with support from Digital Natives Academy. Due to take place in September, this gem has been increasing in popularity each year since its launch in 2022 and are proud supporters.  

Research and projects that will benefit Aotearoa

The wide variety of initiatives that we support reflect the endless evolution of the Internet itself. Two projects that encapsulate this are research into social cohesion in New Zealand, and the development of a locally-governed (AI) platform.

The Social Cohesion in New Zealand report by Shamubeel Eaqub looks at barriers to social cohesion. Of particular interest to us are issues such as low trust in information and the spread of false information online. These issues can weaken the bonds that hold communities together. The second iteration of this research highlights a widening gap between aspirations and lived experience, with financial stress emerging as the strongest predictor of low cohesion. 

The potential benefits and risks of AI are becoming an unavoidable topic of conversation. We contributed to the early development of a locally governed, permissions-based AI platform that will draw on information from authoritative New Zealand sources, with all data hosted and processed domestically. The model-agnostic system will enable orchestration across large language models (LLMs) as required, and feature transparent attribution and a citation-first user experience.

“Today, AI applications are side-car tools, but within a couple of years we could have a post-website environment where everything is viewed through AI applications, currently owned by tech giants. There are profound consequences for data sovereignty, particularly for tangata whenua and Pasifika, and concerns for digital safety over which government has no control.” – James Frankham, New Zealand Geographic

An Internet for everyone includes a focus on accessibility

The Internet has the potential to reduce barriers and support tangata whaikaha (disabled people) in living well. In response to widespread feedback, we have supported Access Advisors to deliver free, practical web accessibility training. This hands-on training is designed to accommodate participants with limited technical expertise and constrained budgets, furthering our goal of a more accessible online environment. 

Another initiative contributing to an inclusive Internet is the work led by Blind Low Vision NZ, which this year focused on enhancing the accessibility of their Alexa Skill through AI integration. They are developing natural language processing capabilities to make this voice-controlled technology more user-friendly and intuitive. 

Digital equity and community-led funding in Te Tairāwhiti

From the outset, we knew that supporting digital equity in Te Tairāwhiti needed more than short-term funding. In fact, 2026 marks three years of working to nurture strong relationships, resulting in two years of community funding and impactful projects. While the achievements of funded projects deserve celebration, the true taonga lies in the deep-rooted growth and connections that are allowing Te Tairāwhiti’s digital equity ecosystem to shine. This funding approach is sparking real change and delivering results that go far beyond what traditional grants can offer.

Highlights in Te Tairāwhiti

Our funding has given people the space to invest time and energy into building relationships and hononga (connections). The Te Tairāwhiti Digital Equity Coalition (TTDEC) was formed as a result of vital relationship development work to strengthen the local digital equity ecosystem. In 2025/26, we witnessed the first funded groups transform ideas into impact, local rangatira (leaders) step up to lead, and communities come together to celebrate milestones.

“As part of the Digital Equity Collective, we’ve set up tech hubs in partnership with whānau like Cain, Polly, and Ani. We’ve had computer donations from Rāngai, we’ve got Zoom gear, TVs, and we’re delivering weekly online learning. Last week we ran a Shopify session — teaching our people to sell online. And because of InternetNZ, we’ve now got one of Aotearoa’s top AI creatives running another six weeks of AI training for our whānau. That’s cool, right? It’s all about technology. It’s all about entrepreneurship. That’s how we roll.” – Lily Stender, Tolaga Bay Innovation

Due to the highly collaborative and community-driven nature of this kaupapa and the individual projects within it, it was essential for the TTDEC members to be present and connected throughout the Te Tairāwhiti region. They visited up the coast, sharing some of their projects and speaking with people about digital equity issues. 

“It reinforced the importance of maintaining direct engagement with remote communities, ensuring they are part of the regional digital equity movement rather than forgotten in its margins.” (Tāiki e! Report 3)

In June, the groups gathered for an evening of celebration, with groups showcasing their progress and accomplishments. In another events, TTDEC members were treated to a preview of the short documentary being created by Rāngai to capture the spirit of this important kaupapa.

“They’ve been sitting down with pakeke who are suddenly expected to do everything online, despite lacking infrastructure and support in their communities. They’re capturing that reality, and the hope that technology can bring. The dream is to create a mini-documentary — telling the story of digital equity and, in some cases, inequity — from a Tairāwhiti perspective. It’s not just about highlighting problems; it’s about showcasing the opportunities that digital tools present for an isolated rohe like ours.” – Cain Kerehoma, Tāiki e!

You can read more about this journey in our seven-part blog series highlighting just some of the amazing projects.

The funded initiatives

We have provided additional funding this year to build on the existing momentum, allowing successful projects to be further developed and explored in greater depth.

• Backbone and strategic coordination – led by Tāiki e!, funding supports a 0.5 FTE coordinator for 12 months, alongside a website refresh and strategy wānanga, to ensure alignment across member organisations, support reporting and accountability, facilitate shared learning, and prepare the collective for long-term partnerships and co-investment.

• Communications and collective visibility – led by Rāngai Limited, to design and implement a collective-wide communications strategy, shifting from one-off storytelling to an ongoing communications system.

• Innovation and applied digital capability – led by Tolaga Bay Innovation to support innovation funding recipients to deepen and scale prototypes, including but not limited to Kura Kai digital storytelling project and Hayley Waitoa's online learning workshops.

• Intergenerational digital inclusion – led by Tairāwhiti Technology Trust, funding supports the development of an intergenerational digital inclusion initiative that brings kaumātua and rangatahi into shared learning spaces.

• Ecosystem mapping: phase one prototype – led by Te Weu Research, completing a phase one prototype, focusing on refining the framework, mapping collective members, building the digital input and analytical components, getting the architecture, data process and analysis right, and undertaking structured sensemaking. 

“What we discovered through this kaupapa is that digital equity isn’t just about devices, connections or skills training. It’s about relationships, governance, and our collective capacity to respond to the needs of our people.”  – Renee Raroa, Te Weu Charitable Trust

All grant reports can be found in our document library, with a few hightlights listed below.

• Insights report: Reflections Report on the Digital Equity Participatory Funding Distribution Model
• Insights report: Reflections from the Tairāwhiti Digital Equity Project
• Insights report: Deepening the Kaupapa – Evolving Reflections from the Tairāwhiti Digital Equity Project
• Projects report: Tairāwhiti Digital Equity Collective Project Report
• Principles underpinning funding model