InternetNZ awards over $120,000 of community funding

Media release – 15 April 2013

InternetNZ (Internet New Zealand Inc) is pleased to announce that it has today granted over $120,000 of community funding – the lion’s share of which has been awarded from InternetNZ’s just-completed Community Investment Funding Round.

The Community Investment Funding Round was a general one-off funding round, held between December 2012 and April 2013. Any person with a project that had an Internet-related focus and met one or more of InternetNZ’s Objects was able to apply.

Funding recipients are Podscape Holdings, World Summit Awards NZ, Gather Workshops, SignDNA, the 2020 Far North ICT Trust, AWACS, Wairarapa REAP and Spacecraft.

Podscape Holdings – funded $12,850

Auckland-based Podscape Holdings is the creator of 3D virtual world ‘BigLittleBang.com’. It will use its InternetNZ funding to conduct research in conjunction with the University of Auckland School of Psychological Medicine aimed at establishing global standards and best practices for kids' online communities.

World Summit Awards (WSA) NZ – funded $10,000

The WSA recognises the world’s most outstanding eContent, celebrating that which contributes to the knowledge society and promoting it at a global congress. New Zealand has participated very successfully since 2003. WSA NZ will use its InternetNZ funding to promote New Zealand submissions in the eight WSA categories.

Gather Workshops – funded $15,000

Gather is an organisation focused on peer to peer education between and amongst students, teachers and web professionals in New Zealand. It will use its InternetNZ funding to host high school workshops, teaching students skills including the basics of building a website, HTML, CSS and how the Internet works. A workshop ‘toolkit’ will also be developed and made available under a Creative Commons licence.

SignDNA / Diversityworks Trust – funded $16,545

Auckland-based Diversityworks Trust will use its InternetNZ funding for a project dubbed SignDNA. This project aims to use the resources possible via the internet to illuminate the deaf culture and community. Private and public collections of deaf-related film and video will be gathered and provided for free via an online archive.

2020 Far North ICT Trust – funded $20,000

The 2020 Far North ICT Trust exists to address digital literacy of communities in the country’s Far North. It will use its InternetNZ funding to increase access to the Internet for 18 families in the Umawera/Mangamuka communities, and develop a technical and business model for school-based satellite Internet hubs that could potentially be deployed in other remote rural communities.

AWACS Communications – funded $20,000

AWACS Communication is a Wellington-based ICT research and development company. It will use its InternetNZ funding on a technical project aimed at obtaining and testing through the TCF and Chorus test lab approval for a new LFC/RSP Bitstream service profile(s) to permit AnySource/SourceSpecific multicast on the CFH/LFC PON & AON.

Wairarapa REAP – funded $20,000

Wairarapa REAP (Rural Education Activities Programme) will use its InternetNZ funding to assist with its ‘Diabetes Monitoring over the Internet’ project. This project will utilise non-invasive wireless-connected technologies for glucose monitoring - in a quest to better monitor and manage diabetes. A pilot trial of people living in Masterton East is proposed.

Spacecraft – funded $6,000

SpaceCraft Christchurch was initiated near the start of 2009 to provide a project and teaching space around electronics and crafts. It will use its InternetNZ funding to purchase 3D printers and Raspberry Pi computers to allow teaching, development and project creation. This project is being funded through InternetNZ’s Christchurch Funding Round.

InternetNZ Acting Chief Executive Jordan Carter says the Community Investment Funding Round proved hugely successful, with 28 applications received in Round One and 16 being shortlisted.

“The number and quality of applications is testament to the breadth of interesting and innovative Internet-related projects being undertaken in New Zealand.

“As a charitable organisation, an important part of our work lies in funding community projects like these that further our Objects in maintaining and extending the availability of the Internet in New Zealand. We are proud to be funding these projects and will watch their progress with great interest.”

More details about InternetNZ’s Community Investment Funding Round are available at www.internetnz.net.nz/content/Community-Investment-Funding-Round.

The Community Investment Funding Round concludes InternetNZ’s funding round activity for the time being. Requests for ‘anytime funding’ are still open. A wide-ranging internal review of how the organisation conducts its grants funding is now underway. The review, expected to be completed mid-year, will identify how InternetNZ can improve its grants-making processes.

© Scoop Media