Well-known ICT consultant, former InternetNZ president, blogger and occasional agitator Colin Jackson was made a Fellow of InternetNZ at the organisation’s annual general meeting, as was Laurence Zwimpfer, a long-time champion of the use of technology in education.
Zwimpfer has played a key role in a number of initiatives on the interface of computers and society, from the Computers in Homes project and NetDay, using volunteer labour to build telecommunications networks for schools, to the E-Day scheme for the collection and safe disposal of used electronic equipment.
He was a member of the National Commission for UNESCO in New Zealand for nine years and has represented New Zealand at a number of international forums.
Colin Jackson built the first government website and played a major role in the founding of the Internet Society of NZ, which became InternetNZ. He is credited, says president Frank March, with having invented the non-dictionary word “uncaptureable” one of the key characteristics of the internet which InternetNZ strives to create and perpetuate.
Accepting the fellowship, Jackson said the purpose of the internet for him was summed up in the Maori saying that the most important thing is the people. “He aha te mea nui? He tangata. He tangata. He tangata.”
InternetNZ also brought some new faces to its ruling Council, electing five Councillors: open-source champion Don Christie, Lance Wiggs (best known recently for his role in the Pacific Fibre company), Neil James and Jonny Martin, all for a three-year term and Dave Moskovitz for one year.
The Twitterati subsequently pointed out that no women had been elected; outgoing Councillor Judy Speight stood for a further term but gained insufficient votes.
Four motions were put to the meeting seeking to install formal procedures to monitor the performance of Council, President and CEO and the boards of the domain name registry company (NZ Registry Services) and the Domain Name Commission. After some debate, March persuaded the movers to withdraw these motions. He argued (largely by reference to plans outlined in the report of CEO Vikram Kumar) that effective processes were being developed.
A fifth motion, to institute a search committee to proactively locate suitable people to stand for Council, was defeated.