Why the Internet needs the right people at the table
Most of us take the Internet for granted. We open our phones, stream a video, send a message, or pay a bill — and the underlying network of networks that makes these things possible just works.
But behind the scenes, keeping the Internet functioning depends on a collaborative, decentralised ecosystem. Various stakeholders, including governments, businesses, academia, civil society, and the technical community, all work together, each playing a vital role.
Why does it matter?
The Internet’s ability to work seamlessly across the globe is the direct result of the multistakeholder approach to its governance. This model brings together different stakeholder voices on an equal footing to discuss and shape decisions about the Internet, supporting its ongoing growth and evolution.
While not perfect, the multistakeholder approach offers diversity, accountability and transparency that government-only processes cannot match. Importantly, it helps ensure that decisions about the Internet and its governance aren't led by individual nation-based political interests.
InternetNZ’s role in protecting multistakeholder Internet governance
At InternetNZ, we work to ensure that Internet governance remains multistakeholder – meaning everyone with a stake, not just governments, has a voice in how the Internet is run. A key part of our work is through a Technical Community Coalition for Multistakeholderism (TCCM).
We were one of the co-founding organisations of TCCM in 2024, alongside partners in Australia, Canada, and the UK. TCCM raises the collective voice of the Internet technical community in spaces where multistakeholder Internet governance may be at risk, like the United Nations processes — the Global Digital Compact (GDC) and the World Summit on the Information Society 20-year review (WSIS+20).
These processes sound a world away from your everyday experience of the Internet, but their outcomes shape whether the Internet of the future is open, secure, and interoperable — or fragmented, restricted, and less reliable.
What’s happening now?
This year, TCCM’s work has focused on the WSIS+20 review, where there is a real risk that multistakeholder Internet governance could be weakened in favour of a more nation-state-led model. UN Member States will also decide whether to extend the mandate of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF).
TCCM has been working to refine its positions on key WSIS+20 issues and presenting them at international forums. It has also begun feeding these positions directly into the WSIS+20 process to defend multistakeholder Internet governance and the open, global, interoperable Internet.
Want to learn more?
Read TCCM’s latest blog post on its engagement at the IGF and the WSIS High-Level Forum: Blog post: TCCM updates from the IGF and WSIS High-Level Forum
Read a summary of TCCM’s WSIS+20 positions
Explore our earlier blogs for background on why multistakeholder governance matters and the origins of TCCM:
If you’ve got questions or whakaaro, you can reach out to our Internet Governance Lead at internet.governance@internetnz.net.nz.