InternetNZ: An Internet for all and an Internet for good
jordanc •
The heart of InternetNZ is to help New Zealanders harness the power of the Internet. We are proud and privileged to be the home of .nz for New Zealand, using the income stream from this and our other commercial activities to fund our work to keep the Internet open, secure and for all New Zealanders.
We recently shared an updated strategic framework with our members and Council. This updated framework keeps our responsibility to run a great .nz operation for New Zealand and our vision of helping New Zealand front and centre in all we do. However, it is also updated for the new opportunities, realities and challenges we face using our Internet to its full potential for New Zealand.
What these changes to the strategic framework do is tighten our focus and up our ambition. These changes are centered on our commitment to building an Internet for all and an Internet for good.
Our focus on an Internet for all will see InternetNZ striving for full digital inclusion of all New Zealanders. That’s because the Internet is for everyone. When this ideal is made a reality by the community working together, all the people of Aotearoa New Zealand will be able to make the most of the Internet.
An Internet for all has an element of access and accessibility—being able to readily use good quality Internet and access services and content; and an element of skills and motivation—being knowledgeable about what you can do and inspired to do new things.
Our focus on an Internet for good is a direct response to the change in our environment following the horrible and tragic events in Christchurch in March 2019. Today’s Internet no longer meets society’s needs, given the vital importance of the online world. The Internet needs to evolve for the 2020s and beyond, with the public interest at its core. This Internet will boost the good things today’s Internet offers while tackling the harm it allows.
An Internet for good has an element of change—reform and evolution of the Internet’s technologies, architecture and governance so that they are working for our common good. It has an element of security—systems and processes to enhance the security of users and communities, and stronger privacy and control of individuals’ data; and it has an element of trust—openness, transparency and smart regulation sustain trustworthy infrastructure, technology and business models.
InternetNZ—our staff, our members, our community—is uniquely placed to make a powerful contribution to the Internet for good and Internet for all challenge. Most importantly, we will make the biggest impact when we work together: members and stakeholders, our partners and our fellow New Zealanders. We think this work has never been more important to do.
In the next month we’ll be finalising our work plan for the 2020/21 year. You can expect our focus to be on these areas, and we’ll be announcing projects to support Kiwis participate in this work—as well as how our day to day efforts will help make sure digital Inclusion and a better Internet happen.