Nominee for President 2005-07 : Colin Jackson

I'm Colin Jackson, and I am standing for election as president of InternetNZ.

I have been involved in the Internet since its early days in New Zealand. As the government's first ever Internet policy person, I started the central New Zealand government web site in 1995. I worked with government and ministers to try to get them to understand the potential of the Internet. Since 2000 I have been working in the e-government unit, helping to get more and more government services online. I have recently left the government and am working as a private consultant, mainly to government departments.

I was one of the founders of InternetNZ, and was its first treasurer. I served on Council for many years, and more recently have been involved in NZOC, the .nz Oversight Committee, of which I am now the acting chair.

Since the new domain name model was implemented in 2003, along with the SRS, the market in domain names has gone from strength to strength. There are now over 180,000 names - up from 130,000 in 2003. More importantly, we have a fair system where everyone knows and plays by the rules, and name holders are protected. That this system works so well is a tribute to those who run it, and to those had the vision to set it up.

I strongly believe in the ideals of InternetNZ. Throughout its existence InternetNZ has stood for keeping the New Zealand Internet open to all - open to all people who want to use it, to everyone who wants a domain name, to everyone who wants to do business over it, and to everyone who wants to make their business in providing the Internet. We have striven to prevent any one person or company from getting monopoly control over core parts of the Internet. I want to continue that, and to push harder to get the players to realise that all our best interests are in cooperation.

In the short term, we need to focus on the upcoming ICANN meeting in Wellington. It is important to New Zealand that the Internet decision makers who will be here for the meeting see it as well-run and effective.

Beyond that, we must concentrate on the areas where we can make a difference, as a neutral body interested in Internet development. This means continuing the excellent work we are doing in the UBS determination, and more widely in helping the government to understand what is the best way to ensure that the Internet remains open to all and develops well. We also need to make sure that new opportunities such as enum are open to all.

The work InternetNZ has done over the last few years has made a difference. I want it to go on making a difference - and to make more of one, so that we get the best Internet we can in New Zealand.

Colin Jackson
colin.jackson@it.gen.nz

Colin Jackson was nominated by Frank March.