InternetNZ Christchurch Funding Round

In late 2011, InternetNZ launched a funding round as part of its contribution to helping rebuild the earthquake-ravaged Canterbury region.

The funding was for Internet/ICT-related projects that will contribute to the rebuild.

The funding round was open to the ideas of New Zealand's wider community, with applications from any individual or organisation considered. Preference was given to projects that were from Christchurch and had local support.

Amount of funding

Funding was via an open, transparent competitive process. A total of $435,000 was made available.

Eligibility Criteria

Project proposals had to meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Projects must materially contribute to the rebuild of Christchurch / Canterbury.
• Projects must be non-commercial, not interfere with the market or provide unfair competition to commercial ventures.
• Projects must relate to InternetNZ’s objects as a registered charity. More on this below:

Funding recipients

The following projects were selected for funding:

Videoconferencing Service for Christchurch Schools – GCSN - $85,000

This project will extend the GCSN’s Christchurch schools videoconferencing service for a further year, helping those with damaged communications infrastructure and students who have been physically dislocated.

Schools, teachers and students in Christchurch will continue to be affected by the impact of the events of 2011 for the next two to three years and probably well beyond.

In a number of cases, school sites, while temporarily re-opened, are in a state of limbo, with students housed in portable classrooms. Public transportation is also still limited. The videoconferencing service for Christchurch schools is a tool which can be used to help mitigate a number of these issues.

Wi-Fi Village – Lyttelton Information Centre & Sydenham Business Association - $37,000

This project will see free public Wi-Fi installed along the main streets of Lyttelton and Sydenham. The Lyttelton Information Centre and the Sydenham Business Association worked in close partnership to secure the grant.

Mobile Stepping Up Digital Learning Centre – Computers in Homes - $125,000

This project will provide digital literacy training to families in some of the worst affected earthquake areas in Christchurch. A bus will be converted into a digital learning centre, similar to a mobile library.

Ongoing road re-construction, particularly in the eastern suburbs, means that public transport services are often rerouted, making it difficult if not impossible for families to attend training sessions.

The mobile learning centre with its own power supply and satellite internet access will mean that adult learners can continue on their digital learning journeys without worrying about ‘how to get there’.

Digital Archiving initiatives – coordinated by UC CEISMIC - $125,000

This project will see five digital archiving initiatives funded, with data to be fed back into the UC CEISMIC federated archive of earthquake-related digital content at www.ceismic.org.nz. Contributing organisations are the Canterbury Museum, HitLab NZ, Lincoln University Department of Applied Computing, the Historic Places Trust and UC Ceismic.

Canterbury Museum will use its funding to set up an Earthquake Collections Online project. HitLab NZ will use its funding to enhance its CityViewAR smart-phone application, taking account of post-quake streetscapes. Lincoln University will use its funding to build pre and post-quake ‘solar exposure’ maps of Christchurch. The Historic Places Trust will use its funding to develop an online archive of geo-located images and audio relating to Christchurch’s High Street precinct. UC CEISMIC will use its funding to enhance its federated archive and QuakeStudies digital archive.

Ring-fenced for further free wireless - $63,000

A further $63,000 has been earmarked for further free community wireless Internet  projects.