Community grants help Kiwis benefit from the Internet

Community grants help Kiwis benefit from the Internet

InternetNZ is pleased to announce the recipients of its latest community grants round - giving money for community projects and activities which support access and better use of the Internet in New Zealand.

The recipients of this funding round saw both individuals and organisations granted $130,000 to help fund community projects as well as attend relevant conferences.

InternetNZ Community Programme Director Dr Ellen Strickland says community grants are an important part of InternetNZ's work to support the community across New Zealand who are developing and using the Internet to benefit Kiwis.

"Contributing this money to the work of others means we can help New Zealanders make the most of the Internet in this country.

"We look forward to seeing the results of these projects, hearing take-home messages from those attending conferences and sharing this information with others," says Dr Strickland.

InternetNZ will be opening its next community grant round next month. This will be another opportunity for conference attendance grants, with $15,000 available, but the main focus of the next round will be Internet research community grants. Internet research grant funding of $100,000 will be available for research which informs the development and use of the Internet for the benefit of New Zealand.

The recipients of the community projects grants are:

Kiwicon was awarded $20,000 for the provision of it's ninth New Zealand information security (infosec) community conference, to be run in Wellington from 10-11 December 2015. A grassroots event run by volunteers and for the infosec community, Kiwicon brings together security professionals, enthusiasts, students and the wider IT industry to present the latest developments, recruit for the industry, and to provide a touchpoint for the community as a whole.
Venture Southland was awarded $15,000 to help make better use of Internet connections for both rural and urban users (both private and commercial) through digital connections liaison and enablement support. This project will focus on two areas. 1) to increase awareness and streamline technology pathways and connection options for end users; and 2) increase digital competence through enablement support.
Welcome Bay Community Centre Inc was awarded $9,062.00 to install two outdoor rated Ubiquiti "Unifi" access points to provide controlled public Internet access to the area containing Welcome Bay Hall, the Community Centre and Waitaha Park, also encompassing the playground adjacent to the centre. By installing a separate controlled public network, they will improve the centre's day-to-day service offerings to the public by giving them open access to two online computers.
National Collective of Independent Women's Refuges Inc was awarded $22,000 for The Refuge Online Project which will ensure that the 41 tauiwi and tangata whenua refuges affiliated with Ngā Whare Whakaruruhau o Aotearoa / National Collective of Independent Women's Refuges (NCIWR) have an accessible online presence which encourages clients to seek help online as a first port of call.
Matihetihe Marae Trust was awarded $25,000 for a continuation of their 'on the grid' work. Mitimiti on the Grid 1 saw the arrival of a full telecommunications infrastructure in a small, isolated marae in the Far North in March 2015. Mitimiti on the Grid 2 aims to 'water the seeds' and to generate a self-sustainable global community from Mitimiti. This funding will help consolidate local and diaspora support amongst tribal members around the world - and its future business partners.
WIC NZ was awarded $24,000 to provide access to Internet through free WiFi, CodeClub, Minecraft Club and robotics workshops for adolescents and adults and a Video Factory to enable the community to tell their new and existing stories. By innovating in a creative way, WIC NZ will create a shared social space for the entire community, from public displays on the weekend, to monthly classes.

The recipients of the conference attendance community grants are:

Bronwyn Holloway-Smith was awarded $3,500 to attend SubOptic in Dubai in April 2016. Bronwyn will be presenting 'Capturing the Public Imagination: Communicating the Cultural Significance of Submarine Internet Cables' which focuses on the creation of a body of artworks about the Southern Cross Cable.
Dr Qiang Fu of Victoria University was awarded $3,500 to attend IEEE GLOBECOM in San Diego in December this year. He will be presenting 'Selected Areas in Communications - Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Functions Visualisations (NFV)' which is designed to engage with the international SDN/NFV community and present what New Zealand is doing in the area.
The MOA Kluster was awarded $8,000 to attend the ISTE Conference in Denver in June 2016. The MOA Kluster is a collaboration between four schools in South Taranaki who are working to become STEM schools. The Kluster attendees are the principals of all four schools, who will present on their progress and use the conference as an opportunity to up-skill.

ENDS

© Scoop Media