Michael Wallmannsberger

I am standing for Treasurer because I believe in the values of openness, participation and freedom of expression on which the Internet was founded and upon which it has grown to become a revolutionary force.

It is hard to overplay the significance of InternetNZ's role in defending and promoting these values--the "open and uncapturable" Internet--in New Zealand and internationally. Over the next two years, our role is likely to become only more critical.

The Internet is about creativity, collaboration and human connectedness. It is central to New Zealand's social and economic wellbeing. Through hard work and recent success, InternetNZ and its allies have persuaded the New Zealand public and the Government to agree with us. However, it is now our task and our duty to ensure that the promised reforms are implemented true to the spirit in which they have been announced.

Having served one-and-a-part (being elected in a by-election) terms as Secretary since 2003 and on Council before that, I have witnessed enormous change in the Society and am proud of the many achievements that we, collectively and with common interest, have worked so hard toward.

The highlights of InternetNZ's achievements include hosting ICANN in Wellington earlier this year, our superb advocacy on broadband reform and the Government's response, world-class management of the .nz ccTLD and our careful and gradual progress toward a more professional Society organisation.

Much of my personal contribution to InternetNZ as Secretary has been focused on supporting Council to appreciate its role as a governance body and to provide resources to help Councillors understand and debate how Council's role should evolve. As the Society changes, it causes us to constantly reflect on our own Council procedures and my role has been to continuously develop and improve those processes as needs change.

As an Aucklander, I worked hard to find the right formula for effective membership consultation with Auckland members and engage new members in the Auckland region. As an Officer, I provide (some semblance of) geographical balance on an otherwise Wellington dominated Executive and I have been able to invest time building relationships with key allies and stakeholders in the Auckland region.

If elected as Treasurer, my commitment is to work with the Executive Director and staff to re-focus the Treasurer's role more on strategic and policy issues. InternetNZ is now a professionally run organisation and the day-to-day management of the organisation is best left to a very competent staff.

As Treasurer, my energy will be invested in endeavours such as risk management, good governance practice, ensuring that InternetNZ has sound and appropriate financial policies and that they are complied with, improving the financial planning information and reporting that is available to Council, long term financial planning and exploring and evaluating ways that InternetNZ might, over time, become less dependent on revenue from the .nz registry operation.

I endorse the policy and views of NZOC and Council that the domain name fee should be stable and reducing over time.

I support the continuing development of the Society as a professionally run yet participatory organisation. In particular, I am committed to a more professional approach in communications, both with members and with key stakeholders and the public. Very clearly, from recent membership consultations, we do not do well enough at explaining the many things we do!

Personal strengths that I will bring to the role include my commitment, enthusiasm and my experience, with InternetNZ and that which I gain from my job as an IS Security Analyst, as a member of the Standards Council (Standards NZ) and through my post-graduate academic work in Organizational Psychology.

I take the responsibility of being an Officer in the Society seriously. InternetNZ has a duty to behave responsibly towards its staff, whose livelihoods depend on our decision making and on whose talents, energy and goodwill we depend. The Officer roles now require significant knowledge, skills and experience. I am committed to continuing to support the development of Council and individual Councillors to ensure that there are experienced, capable future leaders amongst our ranks.

I have positive and productive working relationships with InternetNZ, DNC and NZRS staff, Council and Officers, the board of NZRS and NZOC and with members of the Government, key stakeholders and many members.

My knowledge, skills, experience and relationships will be valuable to InternetNZ as it progresses through the structural review and as any subsequent changes are implemented. I remain committed to an open, participatory, membership based organisation and to the winning team that has come together, made up of so many people and roles, for the common purpose: to allow people and organisations to communicate, collaborate and innovate freely and with confidence.