InternetNZ gives additional funding to Tohatoha

InternetNZ and Tohatoha Aotearoa Commons are delighted to announce additional funding in this financial year to ensure Tohatoha can continue to operate while it looks to secure sustainable long-term funding.

Tohatoha works to develop and deliver evidence-based counter misinformation education to teachers and librarians, offer professional policy advice to government and to support communities harmed by online hate.

It has received core funding for the past eight years through a strategic partnership with InternetNZ.

Today, InternetNZ has offered a partner agreement variation to ensure that Tohatoha is funded to June, 2023. Between now and June, InternetNZ will be considering future funding of all its partnership opportunities, including Tohatoha. This aligns Tohatoha’s financial needs with InternetNZ’s business cycle.

InternetNZ CE, Vivien Maidaborn, says that Tohatoha does very important work.

“InternetNZ is going to be working with all our current and future partners to ensure that every partnership we have includes a Te Ao Māori worldview and work towards an Internet that benefits everyone," says Maidaborn.

Tohatoha applauds InternetNZ’s commitment to the findings of its Systemic Racism Review and Tohatoha is committed to the journey of becoming a more Te Tiriti honouring organisation.

Tohatoha’s CE, Mandy Henk, says, “This is tremendous news and means we can put more resources into our counter misinformation programme, ‘A Bit Sus...’ which supports educators and communities to deliver evidence-based counter misinformation education.

“I’d like to thank the team at InternetNZ and Vivien for their hard work to find us the funding that allows us to continue operating. Being a not-for-profit during an economic downturn is never easy but they’ve come through for us and I’m grateful for their efforts,” says Henk.

Both partners will work together closely to ensure an open and trusted relationship that helps Tohatoha and the communities it serves.