2022 Council elections

In terms of relevant experience, I have served primarily on the Audit & Risk committee for the last six years. The last three were as vice-chair, and most recently as chair. I was also on the subcommittee that restructured the org, and have been on the auditor review panel (selecting a new auditor), the CEO performance review committee, and the appointments committee for our independent councillors.

These positions have required a high degree of empathy, excellent relationship and negotiation skills, and the ability to work with others to develop a shared understanding of problems. Building consensus is part of Internet NZ’s DNA and culture, and I believe it is a critical skill for a Vice-President.

I do like to work behind the scenes, in a relational way, to build consensus and get things done. I don't mind if that work goes under the radar; I'm just happy to see a good result.

With the appointment of a new CEO, I believe it is time to have a fresh look at how the President/VP works with the CEO, council, and our new Māori advisory panel, and I think I am ideally placed for this given the relationships I have built up over the last seven years.

I have in-depth and current knowledge of INZ, and I am committed to moving towards a new future, building on what we’ve learned over the last few years about the change that is needed. I also have a proven track record of working well with the current President and council; I am someone who naturally gets along well with others.

To top all this off, I have a thorough understanding of the technology that underpins the internet, and of some of the technical challenges we face in the future.

I look forward to continuing to serve you, and the community, in this important role.

Why are you interested in the role you have been nominated for?

I want to continue the momentum of InternetNZ towards being inclusive, and do the mahi of creating an internet for everyone, an Internet for good.

Here’s what I see as important work right now:

Dis- and mis- information work, hate speech and violence. In New Zealand agencies in power are beginning to measure the impact and policing the fallout, but not yet pointing sunlight on the sources and funding behind the escalating attacks on our nation. Disinformation and misinformation is an organised and funded campaign targeting the foundations of our society and uses the speed and scale of technology such as the internet to undermine the concept of “what is truth”, leading to horrific violence. InternetNZ cannot be solely reactive to these attacks on our nation and our whanau.

Climate change is the biggest problem we have faced as a species, potentially an extinction-level event. Tech industries and community in NZ do understand that it is real and are making some effort but as a whole are still complacent, still kicking the can down the road waiting for society to shift. InternetNZ is well placed to lead change, and put our mahi behind those with the mana to do better. Right now New Zealand makes use of services that are powered by coal, gas, and other climate-breaking emissions but feels guilt-free because it’s hosted outside our motu in another nation. It’s the same planet we’re destroying but we hosted it in places like Australia. As an island nation, we should know better. We only need to look to our other pacific island nations, to see the effects that doing so little has done.

The Registry! don’t forget the pipes. InternetNZ as a non-profit cares about our world around us but we must not forget the infrastructure we hold and guard for Aotearoa. It needs to modernise, to be secure, reliable, maintainable, and performant. It’s easy to sell the mahi of inspiring the nation to tech greatness, but our own house needs maintaining too.

Good employer: The Council is the board for an employer of skilled people, who have rare and wonderful talents who could all work in other places if they wanted. It means something that they choose to work at InternetNZ, and they deserve to have a good employer with a supportive culture that results in excellence. 

I am a programmer who has worked in power generation, telecommunications, and the NZ government, and now I'm in VFX/film/game/Animation. I've been a technology lead within DIA and a director of NZRS. I served on the InternetNZ council for 6 years. When I was first elected I was the first woman on the council in a very long time. At the end of my second term, it was a very different council. I departed after two terms to make room for more Maori, and just all-around more diversity. In the three years since I left some of that new diversity has stuck but it seems a fragile thing some days. I’ve got the technical background to understand the tech in our registry and sort bullshit, optimism and pessimism from reality.

Talofa lava everyone, I'm Norie Ape a Samoan born, Auckland raised Digital Product Manager a.k.a Technology Explainerer with experience in the Public Sector, Private Sector and Not for Profit Sector. When I'm not staying loyal to the Auckland Blues Rugby franchise I am usually involved in events or initiatives that are focused on:

• increasing the number of Māori & Pasifika in the NZ Tech Sector
• increasing the number of Māori & Pasifika Women in the NZ Tech Sector
• improving digital equity and access through government panels or the Digital Equity Coalition Aotearoa
• developing a wahine in Govt Tech Aotearoa group
• supporting the Wellington Central Branch of PACIFICA Inc on initiatives to promote the education and economic development of Pasifika families in Aotearoa.

I am excited about the opportunity to be considered as a council candidate (many thanks to Jeff Montgomery) because the research, policy and community mahi done by InternetNZ focuses on areas that I am passionate about:

• addressing the digital divide in Aotearoa
• improving digital inclusion in Aotearoa beyond covid-19
• research grants on digital inclusion & collaboration with DECA and safeguarding children's data privacy.

As an individual with the lived experience of the digital divide, I have focused on ensuring digital service designers and digital providers at a local and central government level factor in people or end-users who don’t have easy access to data/Internet. I believe in the 'internet for good' or 'tech for good' mantra of InternetNZ and would relish the opportunity to help contribute to building a better digital environment for internet users in Aotearoa.

Please see my LinkedIN profile for more details.

My profile as an internationally recognised scholar and legal practitioner in domain name law clearly demonstrates my sustained and genuine interest in the internet and domain name space.

I seek the role of Councillor to contribute my extensive knowledge and expertise in the regulation and proper functioning of the internet. I have written widely on the internet, including: domain name dispute resolution policies; best practices to ensure a stable, secure, reliable and open internet; factors which can compromise DNS security; promoting principles of competition, fair trading and consumer protection in the net space; ensuring organisations responsible for the administration of the internet are transparent and fully accountable. Please see here for my list of publications: https://www.waikato.ac.nz/staff-profiles/people/aroy.

InternetNZ plays the pivotal role in ensuring the internet in NZ is accessible and secure, and it would be a privilege for me to be able to apply my expertise to the policy work on internet issues faced in Aotearoa.

What skills and experience would you bring to the role?

I am currently Professor and Dean of Law at Te Piringa Faculty of Law at the University of Waikato. I have extensively published in law, and am a commissioned author for several major legal publishers, including Oxford University Press, Thomson Reuters, and LexisNexis. My book on Australian Domain Name Law has been widely acclaimed as the international authority in the area because it is the first authoritative study anywhere in the world to critically examine Australian domain name law. I also have several years of experience working as an academic and legal practitioner specialising in internet and IT law, corporate and commercial law, and intellectual property law.

Along with my considerable leadership and senior management experience outlined on my staff profile (https://www.waikato.ac.nz/staff-profiles/people/aroy), I have the following personal skills and competence to offer InternetNZ as Councillor:

• Demonstrated capacity to work collaboratively with relevant stakeholders to implement and maintain effective systems and processes in line with InternetNZ’s whakataukī, purpose, vision and values.
• Demonstrated and proven commitment to high ethical, personal and professional standards in all aspects of leadership and work.
• Outstanding experience and success in numerous senior leadership and governance roles in academia and legal practice.
• Demonstrated success in collaborative leadership skills, including a proven ability to create a culture of high performance and collegiality.
• Demonstrated international reputation in my field, including a significant research impact factor.
• Outstanding cross-cultural communication skills and the ability to work with a wide range of individuals and groups/ organisations to achieve objectives.
• Demonstrated understanding of the principles of anti-discrimination, equity, work health and safety and other relevant legislation, and the willingness and capacity to implement relevant policies when appropriate.

I look forward to contributing to the continuing success of InternetNZ should I be fortunate enough to be elected as Councillor.