InternetNZ
InternetNZ is a not-for-profit open membership organisation and the designated manager for the.nz country code top-level internet domain. It also supports the development of New Zealand's internet through policy, community grants, research, and events.
About
As the designated manager for the.nz top level internet domain, InternetNZ represents New Zealand at a global level. It supports the development of New Zealand's internet through policy and grants to individuals and organisations, research, and events. Part of the work of InternetNZ is advocacy and commentary. It makes submissions to New Zealand Select Committees, and in 2020 commented on the legislative process of the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Amendment Bill, which is an update to a 1993 Act.Organisational structure
The full name of InternetNZ is Internet New Zealand Incorporated and it is a registered incorporated society in New Zealand. It is a non-profit society with charitable status and is overseen by a council. It has a subsidiary organisation, the Domain Name Commission Ltd. The Domain Name Commission supports the work of InternetNZ including administering an independent dispute resolution service.Council
The InternetNZ Council is the governing body for InternetNZ. It is made of nine members elected by the membership and two appointed members.Council members
The elected InternetNZ council as at 27 July 2023 are Joy Liddicoat, Brenda Wallace, Kate Pearce, Richard Hulse, Anthony Bow, Jeff Montgomery, Potaua Biasiny-Tule, Alpana Roy, Whetu Fala, Anjum Rahman, and Stephen Judd.Chief Executive
- Viven Maidaborn
- Andrew Cushen, interim Chief Executive
- Jordan Carter
- Vikram Kumar
History
In late September 2023, InternetNZ started work on a new constitution. In October 2024, the organisation released drafting guidelines that were shared with members. Proposed changes included provisions that would respect the Treaty of Waitangi and include a Māori co-chair. In addition, it was proposed that the organisation's governing body be reduced from 11 members to 7-9 members, and that four members would be appointed for specific skills. In late February 2025, the New Zealand Free Speech Union objected to InternetNZ's proposed constitution, claiming that it would make the organisation "less democratic, more ideological, and primed for censorship." The FSU also objected to the proposal on the grounds that a third of the InternetNZ board would consist of Māori. In response, InternetNZ president Stephen Judd accused the FSU of misrepresenting the proposal changes and "creating confusion about the purpose of the constitutional review." By 27 February 2025, The Post reported that InternetNZ's membership had swelled from 280 to 1,200 over the past week after the Free Speech Union and another advocacy group called Hobson's Pledge encouraged their members to join in order to vote against the proposed constitution. Judd speculated that the increase in membership was a response by others joining to counteract the influence of the FSU.