Jamie Baddeley bio / election statement

First of all, welcome to our newest members. I haven’t had the chance to meet all of you but it’s important you get to know more about me. And of course, to our longstanding members, Hello!

I have decided to stand for Vice President of InternetNZ after many folk approached me. We have two very good candidates for President and two equally good candidates for Vice President as well as many good candidates for Council. It is really important we have people of this calibre putting their hands up to represent us.

The reason I have accepted nomination for Vice President is because I have become concerned on a couple of counts and it was only towards the end of the nomination process that the following issues became apparent.

First, Council should be representative of its membership, in touch with that membership and that representation should be as balanced as possible.

Second, InternetNZ should be apolitical - with the interests of “protecting and promoting the Internet for New Zealand” first and foremost. I’d be deeply concerned if InternetNZ found itself offside with the Government of the day because our Council representation did not represent a balanced view.

I am standing for Vice President for this reason – balance and the experience I have to offer - but more on that later.

Balanced Council representation

We must strike a balance between young and old, experience and new blood, the balance between infrastructure/applications, public and private sector, service providers/customers, freedom/safety, governance/technical, commercial/non commercial and that is for starters.

The role of President and Vice President are important in getting that balance right. I ask you to think about the issue of balance, look at the candidates for President and Vice President and ask yourself; which is the best balanced combination for InternetNZ?

I believe I am the right choice for Vice President as my skills, experience and style offer the best perspective and support to any of the Presidential candidates. Diversity is important.

With regard to Council: 17 candidates and four positions. Please think about the sitting councilors and ask yourself which combination of new or returning councilors would strike the best balance for the society. We must get this right for the future. Think about the mix.

My experience and involvement in other areas:

I continue to be very active in the Internet area both professionally and through my presidency of the ISP Association of New Zealand (www.ispanz.org.nz). I would resign from this role if I am successful in this InternetNZ vice presidential election.

I am a member of the IPv6 steering group and I am proud that my company, FX Networks, is a leader in this area. On behalf of ISPANZ, I have been active working on one of the more contentious issues recently – Copyright in the Digital Age.

On InternetNZ, I am a member of the Interim Management Committee, along with Frank March, Donald Clark and Neil James; all gentlemen who I hold in the highest of regard. I think there is a good balance of views here. This committee was part of Council’s response when it became clear that the outcomes would not meet the needs of members, staff and council. I am also former Chairman of the Technical Policy committee of InternetNZ. My experience on that committee has underlined the need for solid participation from members, and those who care.

Perhaps most important of all, and on a personal note, I am the proud father of two fine young boys and my wife, Nikki, is the light of my life. Bringing two young people into this digital world has certainly given me a sharper perspective on online safety and privacy and, interestingly, has made my views on the Internet being open and unable to be captured, even more resolute.

'Netizens' must be free to choose. And we should do our very best to ensure they are provided information that allows them to make an informed decision.

The Road Ahead

The road ahead for InternetNZ will be different from the past. Telecommunications reform will continue to be important, but there are other issues we must focus on. Copyright is the tip of the digital iceberg and censorship/filtering will become an item of continued debate. Network neutrality may turn out to be an element that demands our attention.

Turning our nation from being information ‘consumers’ to information ‘producers’ is something very close to my heart and it is high time we turned the debate from being about ‘the tubes’ to one about how we make those ‘tubes’ useful and productive. Again, it will be about balance.

And last but certainly not least, my aim is simple: the best governance, structure, mission and objectives for the Society I am very proud to serve – InternetNZ.

Thanks

Jamie