ITPs and wananga offered free KAREN membership

media release 13 December 2007

ITPs and wananga offered free KAREN membership for 2008

REANNZ, Research and Education Advanced Network New Zealand Ltd, is accelerating the reach of KAREN, the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network, by offering free network membership to institutes of technology, polytechnics (ITPs) and w a nanga for the 2008 calendar year.

The KAREN Experience Programme will expose ITPs and w a nanga to the transformational benefits of KAREN, allowing them to develop new approaches to teaching and learning through supporting access to online collaborative tools, rich media content and data repositories. ITPs and w a nanga can also take advantage of KAREN to streamline their IT operations through managed internet access, data storage, voice over IP, and access to shared services.

“This programme will allow the ITP and w a nanga sectors to realise the important role KAREN has in helping them achieve their plans in a rapidly evolving tertiary education system,” says Donald Clark, Chief Executive, REANNZ. In exchange for free membership, ITPs and w a nanga will be asked to make an ‘in-kind’ investment of equal value through committing to a series of projects during the year that would not have been possible without KAREN.

This will help ensure that ITPs and w a nanga realise the greatest benefit from their connection. The TEC welcomes this offer to the ITPs and w a nanga, with David Nicholson, Director Tertiary Network commenting “We are particularly interested in how KAREN might by used innovatively by ITPs and w a nanga in working collaboratively to meet learner needs in their regions and its potential to support shared service opportunities.”

“KAREN is rapidly becoming essential infrastructure for New Zealand’s research, education and innovation community. ITPs and w a nanga are an important part of this landscape, and the natural next level of networked community now that the universities, Crown Research Institutes and National Library are connected,” says Donald..

Connections can be made directly to a KAREN Point of Presence (PoP) or to a KAREN PoP via an Accredited Network Aggregator.

Ends

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