Executive Director's Report to Council 17/12/05
My report covers the period from the last meeting on 28 October to 10 December, and should be read in conjunction with the attached Project Reports. I regret we have not yet been able to find the resource to update Project Reports on a regular monthly basis, but my hope is we will have the resources in place to undertake regular monthly reporting effective from the commencement of the new financial year.
ISOC Membership
The International and Executive Committees have agreed that InternetNZ should become an Executive Member of ISOC, at the “not for profit” scale of US$5,000 per annum. The perception of value for InternetNZ is through our small financial commitment to the ongoing work of the ISOC bodies of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
ICANN ccNSO Ballot
The International Committee agreed that .nz would vote in favour of the ICANN ccNSO bylaw changes, on the basis that the changes should facilitate greater membership of ccTLDs to the ccNSO.
WSIS Meeting
I have received indications of willingness to participate in a WSIS IGF Forum in Wellington from Ambassador Janis Karklins (Chair of WSIS Tunis), Markus Kummer, Suzanne Sene (US DoC), Dr Paul Toomey (ICANN President) and others. This event to be held in conjunction with ICANN Wellington, but via Access Grid or similar, to allow NZ wide audience participation, along the lines of the ICT Political Leaders Forum we organised in September.
ICANN Wellington
NZRS have resolved to contribute $300,000 towards the cost of hosting the ICANN meeting in Wellington.
Steady progress continues with organisation for the March event, and a number of concurrent sub-events are now also being scheduled (refer attached calendar for the 2 weeks of activities associated with the ICANN meeting)
The website relating to the meeting is available at www.icann.org.nz or http://www.icann-nz.org and bookings have started subsequent to the announcement of the website at ICANN Vancouver. We have a number of rooms available for InternetNZ use at the Duxton Hotel. I have asked InternetNZ staff to stay at this hotel for the duration of the ICANN meeting, and there are also sufficient rooms for Councillors use. Could I please ask Councillors to advise me of their intentions to attend the ICANN meeting or not, so that I may firm up on the reservations? I would appreciate also volunteers from Council who I can allocate as the main local liaison for our platinum and gold sponsors.
A mailing list (hosted by InternetNZ) has been opened for the organisers of the Pacific Island Communications forum to be held in Wellington in conjunction with the ICANN meeting. I am subscribed, and I will be seeking approval from the other PIP members to see if I can add their names. This will include Simon Riley and Don Hollander from InternetNZ.
Cleanfeed Trial
Despite a difficult start, this project is now on track. Mark Harris is reporting separately on this issue. As stated before, if the trial does prove successful, this will signal the start of a more significant project, to undertake consultation to examine InternetNZ’s willingness to support the use of Cleanfeed.
Authentication Standards
Michael Sutton recently posted the link to the Governments Authentication Standards draft, at www.e.govt.nz/services/authentication/standards. The office has received a hard copy of the draft along with a request for submissions. Jordan is reading through, with a view to highlighting any potential issues for InternetNZ, and referral to our relevant committee(s) for further action if perceived neccessary.
IPv6 Champion
Roger Hicks attended the IPv6 Forum in Canberra in October, and his report is attached to the IPv6 Project Report. Roger has produced the elements of an IPv6 Forum for Wellington, and between us we have been discussing various options for international speakers. Roger is currently offshore for 2 weeks, but John Houlker and I are facilitating a meeting on Tuesday 13 th to further plan this event. There may be some recommendations arising from Tuesday’s meeting which I may need to bring to the Council meeting, or to e-vote, for Council approval.
Technical Scholarships
I have agreed arrangements with NZ Computer Society to jointly brand some technical scholarships, now being offered, and to be awarded in February / March next year. This will give InternetNZ a low risk opportunity to assess the value of further co-sponsorship in future years, and also allows a partial fulfilment of our business plan objective in the current year, without the need for provision of internal resourcing for administration of this project.
NZNOG
I am continuing discussions with NZNOG conference organisers regarding our sponsorship, and their meeting agenda, including the possibility of the NOG organising the IPv6 Forum, and a Plugtest.
Minister Meeting
It was our intention to meet with the Minister of Technology at around the time of the Council meeting, to update on the extant issues on our agenda. We have been advised this meeting is now not possible until early 2006, but further, by the time of our meeting, the President, Jordan and myself will have met with the Minister at his request, to participate in his stock-take of where the ICT sector is.
The first meeting in 2006 has noted attendance requests from David Farrar and David Harris, and will cover the more extensive issues of our work with the TCF on spam and ENUM, ISPANZ, Telecommunications Act review, Spam Legislation, Digital Strategy and the Wellington ICANN meeting. I
ISPANZ
Along with Colin Jackson, David Farrar, Chris Streatfield and I, Jordan recently met with ISPANZ to discuss areas where we could work together. We are currently working to bring ISPANZ representatives onto relevant InternetNZ committees and task forces with their agreement.
Website
Councillors will be asked to review the new website between the date of this report and the Council meeting. There is extensive work now under way to bring the site content up to the standard required to launch it to the public. It is more important to get the content right than to rush the site launch and we will therefore not launch the site until the appropriate standard is reached.
Netsafe
Jordan Carter attended the most recent Netsafe members' meeting in Auckland on 30 November. I intend that Jordan will be present at all future such meetings, and myself on occasions, as they give us a useful insight into Netsafe's activities, which we can then report back to the Council along the lines of Jordan's email this time. Our presence at those meetings will also help InternetNZ work more closely with Netsafe, rebuilding a relationship that has become a little more distant since Pete left the ED's role.
Strategic Plan
My thanks to Jordan Carter, who along with the planning day facilitator Erina Papp have completed a useful summary of the outcomes of the day, and the framework of what should grow into our new Strategic Plan. This subject is a separate agenda item for the Council meeting. It is important that the Committee and Working Group Chairs take the outcomes from the Council meeting to their respective groups for further consideration of the knitting together of our individual projects and initiatives to the broader plan, and concomitantly start evolving specific inputs into the 2006/07 Business Plan and Budget.
10th Floor Lease
Attached to the project template is the formal offer for lease of the 10 th floor. As there is commercial information included in the documentation, please treat this matter as confidential to Council only.
My recommendations are included at the conclusion of this document.
Membership
As at 30 November InternetNZ membership stood at 161, comprising the following:
Total last month end 166
Less Void / Resigned 6
Plus new members 1
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Total this month end 161
The joint membership promotion for NZCS and INZ is now being promoted by NZCS, and I remain hopeful this will attract some members.
Staffing
At the time of this reports preparation, advertising has commenced in search of the “geeky wonk” position, and applications have been received. This position should give much needed relief in the backlog of work for our technically focussed committees and working groups.
It is my intention to take on a communications person early in the new year, using the ICANN meeting and its associated events as a trial for a greater comms role in InternetNZ.
The DNC is in the process of employing a part time PA, and approximately one day per week of this persons time will be available to us, partly to provide backup for our financial processes, and partly as support for the Officers.
I am also seeking to recruit a PA for a fixed term from early January to 31 March, to assist me in getting over this very busy period. Gale Blikshavn’s extended leave period ends on 31 March.
The office will be closed over the Christmas period, the last day of work being Friday 23 December, and the office reopening on Monday 9 January. All staff have agreed to take 6 days annual leave. I will be on call throughout the period, preferable contact by email, but otherwise more urgently at home on 06 377 0085.
Christmas
InternetNZ staff wish all Councillors the very best for the forthcoming festive season.
Recommendations:
1. That InternetNZ become a not for profit Executive Member of ISOC.
2. That Council approves the Executive Director securing the rights to lease the 10 th floor of Exchange Place.
3. That NZRS be requested to consider assuming the landlord responsibility for the 10 th floor lease, and if not possible, that the Executive Director be authorised to execute the lease on the terms and conditions outlined in the Livingstones proposal.
4. That approval in principle be given for the establishment of an Access Grid, and the Executive Director to provide firm quotations for approval to the March Council meeting
5. THAT the report of the Executive Director for December 2005, including the Project Status Reports, be received.
