InternetNZ plays host to APNIC 58
, .nz team •
InternetNZ was delighted to host APNIC 58 recently, in a typically windswept Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington. The driving northerly wind and rain outside did little to deter the attendees, who had flown in from all over the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Photo credit: APNIC.
The 58th edition of the conference, held from 30 August to 6 September, “brought together Internet and networking expert government representatives, industry leaders, and other interested parties from around the world to learn, share ideas and experience, network with peers, and develop policies related to Internet operations.”
The first few days of the programme consisted of Network Security and Automation workshops and the Pacific Internet Governance Forum (IGF). The Pacific IGF presented a rare moment for Pacific nations to talk about their issues and their connection to each other, and members of InternetNZ took a keen interest in discussions.
The APNIC event started in earnest on Wednesday 4 September, and at the opening ceremony, our Tumu Whakarae Vivien Maidaborn highlighted the importance of working together to secure the future of the Internet:
"Success is not the work of an individual, but the work of many of us, and if we are going to have an open, interoperable, secure and safe Internet, that's the work we hold between us."
The incoming APNIC Director General Jia Rong Low also spoke to the packed crowd, who were then treated to a performance of waiata and ngāhau by students from Mount Cook School.
Watch a recording of the APNIC Opening Ceremony on YouTube.
CAPTION Vivien Maidaborn addresses the audience at the Opening Ceremony for APNIC 58 in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington. Photo credit: APNIC.
The Registrar Summit returns in style
On Wednesday 4 September, we occupied a corner of the venue to host the .nz Registrar Summit, done jointly with the Domain Name Commission (DNC).
System updates on the .nz domain namespace and registry were shared by Tumu Whanake, GM Customer and Product Tim Johnson, who then covered the .nz channel overview, the InternetNZ Registry System (IRS) roadmap, and news about the recent .kiwi agreement. Operational topics were also covered, including IRS feature requests from registrars, the new .nz Connection Agreement and Registry Lock feature, which is soon to be trialled.
Following Tim’s presentation, DNC and InternetNZ staff presented on topics including DNC’s core functions and developments, .nz Rules, .nz marketing, .nz data and insights, and DNC insights and issues. The presentations were well-received by the audience of mostly registrar representatives, who were able to ask questions and make comments.
Concluding the event was a panel session called Domain Name Industry in the AI Era took place, with eager anticipation from attendees. The Panelists were Domain Name Commissioner Barbara Pearse, .kiwi Limited Managing Director Andy Ellis, Voyager Internet Limited Chief Product Officer Lee Miller, and auDA Chief Operating Officer Bruce Tonkin.
The event received immediate positive feedback with Nathan Kennedy from Voyager Internet Limited saying the Summit was “A great time had, some great insights, and a great opportunity to connect with our fellow registrars.
It was the first time the event had been held post-pandemic and we were delighted with the way the event ran.
CAPTION InternetNZ staff attending the Registrar Summit at Tākina in Wellington.
Whitiaua moderates Pacific disaster resilience panel
On Thursday 5 September Whitiaua Ropitini, Principal Advisor, Māori Sector Relationships and Partnerships moderated "Disaster resilience: Pacific Islands and the need for robust infrastructure and mitigation plans" which centered on the telecommunication impact of Cyclone Gabriel.
Whitiaua opened the session by sharing lessons learned from Cyclone Gabriel, and then invited the panelists, all from the Pacific, to share their own experiences in developing disaster resilience. At the end of the session, the panelists chose one word each to sum up resilience, and they were: transformation, continuity, learning, and withstanding.
CAPTION Principal Advisor, Māori Sector Relationships and Partnerships Whitiaua Ropitini (far left on stage) moderated a talk on disaster resilience in the Pacific. Photo Credit: APNIC
Pooja presents on DNS and DNSSEC
On the last day, our Systems Administrator Pooja Naranag presented on Domain Name System (DNS) and Domain Name System Security Extension (DNSSEC) at the Pacific ccTLD managers forum. The session spread awareness about the importance of implementing DNSSEC for ccTLDs, and what can be done to build infrastructure to support DNSSEC implementation.
Pooja’s talk inspired conversation within the room about the use of DNSSEC, particularly in the Pacific, and how other countries can look to implement it.
CAPTION Systems Administrator Pooja Narang presents on DNSSEC at APNIC 58
Catch more moments and photos from APNIC 58
InternetNZ and APNIC covered the event on Facebook and LinkedIn. Check out all the posts from throughout the event.
InternetNZ LinkedIN
APNIC LinkedIN
InternetNZ Facebook
APNIC Facebook
Images from APNIC 58