New Fellows announced

It’s our pleasure to announce the formal recognition of the contributions of three people to the development of our organisation and to the Internet in New Zealand.

Since 1998, InternetNZ | Ipurangi Aotearoa has recognised members of the New Zealand Internet community with fellowships. These are awarded to those who have made a particular contribution to the development of the Internet in New Zealand or to the Internet New Zealand Incorporated Society (the Society). 

The Fellows are nominated by InternetNZ members and then considered by the Board. 

This year’s 2026 Fellows, formally announced at the InternetNZ AGM yesterday, are: 

  • Sarah Lee
  • Keoni Mahelona
  • Brenda Wallace

Sarah Lee 

Sarah was acknowledged for her contribution to the Society. She served two terms (six years) as an elected member of the InternetNZ Council (now Board) and then stayed on as an appointed member for a further two years. Since then she has continued to contribute as a member of InternetNZ’s Te Komiti Whakauru Māori and was instrumental in setting up the Māori Design Group. Without her, InternetNZ’s journey to becoming a Te Tiriti-centric organisation would have been slower or faltered. Her contribution has been continuous, tireless and, in recent years, entirely voluntary despite the many other demands on her.

Keoni Mahelona

Keoni was acknowledged for his contribution to the development of the Internet in Aotearoa New Zealand. Keoni has dedicated more than a decade to advancing digital innovation through his leadership as Chief Technology Officer at Te Hiku Media. Te Hiku is a pioneer in online broadcasting in New Zealand. Keoni has been instrumental in developing globally recognised artificial intelligence and language technologies that protect and revitalise te reo Māori while championing data sovereignty and ethical AI. His work demonstrates a deep commitment to ensuring rural and indigenous communities are not left behind in Aotearoa New Zealand’s digital future.

Brenda Wallace

Brenda was acknowledged for her contribution to the Society. Brenda served on the InternetNZ Council (now Board) between 2013 and 2019 and then again as a council member and vice-president between 2022 and 2024. She was also a director of NZRS, and a chair of various Society subcommittees. Brenda was part of the group who were successful in getting an Order in Council to prevent the three strikes provision in the Copyright (New Technologies) 2009 from being enforced. She was a consistent contributor to Nethui, running many sessions, an advocate for Te Tiriti o Waitangi InternetNZ, and a champion for disabled people and other minority communities.

You can see the full list of Fellows and their impact on this page.

 

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