Smooth operators: Why we love NZNOG

We’ve been supporters of the NZNOG conference one way or another for more than 20 years now, and .nz is a proud Gold sponsor again this year.

With the conference coming up this month, we thought it might be a good time to explain – what’s a NOG anyway, and why does it matter? 

First, here’s how the Internet works. 

The Internet is a wondrous tool of modern life but it does not, in fact, get to your home, work and phone by magic. 

There are many layers of infrastructure, both physical and digital, that are kept in meticulous working order by individuals and organisations across New Zealand and the world to bring you the Internet.

The Internet, by intent and design, is not centrally controlled either in New Zealand or elsewhere. 

Instead, it’s a network of networks. The Internet is a network of physical and digital infrastructure managed by various organisations around the world, swapping packets of information, via cables, servers and software. 

And these networks are quietly and efficiently managed by people and organisations to ensure we have reliable, resilient Internet. 

So what’s a NOG? 

It stands for Network Operator Group, and there are lots of them around the world. 

It’s what it sounds like – a group of people and organisations that run the networks that make the Internet seem like magic. 

New Zealand’s Network Operator Group, which has been around since the early 2000s, is a group in the loosest sense – it doesn’t have offices, staff, MOUs, or even a complicated website. It is a trust, but everyone on the trust is a volunteer.

NZNOG is essentially a group of people who need to be in the know and who can support one another to ensure the dots keep connecting in the networks.   

Why do they have a conference?

The annual conference is a chance for all those operators, spread across New Zealand, to get together to talk shop.

InternetNZ’s Product Infrastructure Lead Josh Simpson has been attending since around 2011, long before he joined us at InternetNZ. 

It’s a gathering that includes people from a range of Internet-related spheres, says Josh, from networks to governance, from New Zealand and other parts of the world, and topics range from emergency management legislation to technological trends. 

‘It’s not just the network ops who show up, it’s a whole ecosystem of Internet people. 

“It’s the community that makes it work, and being part of the community and connecting with key stakeholders and backend operators makes it really worthwhile.”

Josh says that while within the network group there are people and organisations in direct competition with each other, the ethos of the group is all about cooperation and working together as a community for the best service delivery possible.

Supporting where needed 

Over the years InternetNZ have supported by lending our team members’ skills and time, sponsoring, and, of course, being there.

One of InternetNZ’s longest-serving staff members, Finance Manager Mary Tovey, attended the conference in 2012 to provide administrative support. 

“We were the only women there, all the attendees were men,” laughs Mary. “They seemed to think it was quite good having women there, so there was a real drive after that to get more women attending.”  

Mary has been one of the kaimahi supporting the conference over the years with in-kind services. 

“We’ve always supported these organisations with what they need, supporting them to grow. The work we do is not just about InternetNZ, it’s about supporting where we’re needed and supporting where we’re going, “ says Mary. 

Mary says the collaboration has always been a part of the InternetNZ story, and the NZNOG conference is just one of the initiatives that we have helped to grow. 

 

The 2026 NZNOG Conference, sponsored by .nz, is happening in Ōtautahi Christchurch on March 26-27.