Award winning non-profit, Digital Natives Academy (DNA) has secured international recognition and funding to launch a world-first accredited Internet governance training programme for rangatahi (young people).
DNA is one of only 23 organisations worldwide, and the sole recipient from Aotearoa and the Pacific, to be awarded funding through the inaugural ICANN Grant Program.
Global non-profit ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) oversees the core systems that keep the internet running. They are investing more than USD $10 million into projects that strengthen internet infrastructure and governance.
“This programme is the first of its kind. An accredited, Indigenous-designed course that teaches young people how the internet works behind the scenes. Covering everything from DNS and IP addressing to digital governance and data sovereignty,” says DNA CEO and co-founder Nikolasa Biasiny-Tule.
“It is a huge opportunity for Rotorua and our rangatahi.”
Rotorua’s Mayor, Tania Tapsell was equally elated, saying “We’re incredibly proud that our local Digital Natives Academy has been recognised through this international funding grant.
“The Academy is delivering a world-class programme and we couldn’t be more stoked that this was created and made available to our young people right here in Rotorua.”
We’re a hub for innovation and technology and it’s been wonderful to see this indigenous-designed course grow our reputation in this space.”
Considering how central tech is to our lives these days, this is such a valuable learning opportunity. We congratulate the team on this significant achievement and thank them for their commitment and dedication to ensuring this type of education is available to our local rangatahi. We cannot wait to see what new opportunities this funding will open up for them.”
The programme will be co-designed with industry, practitioners, community partners and supported by organisations such as InternetNZ and the Spark Foundation. It will give students the chance to explore critical internet systems, cybersecurity, and governance frameworks.
“It also addresses growing calls for Māori leadership in digital spaces, ensuring local voices are part of global decisions about data, infrastructure and digital futures,” says Biasiny-Tule
“This is not just a training course,” she adds, saying “It is about preparing young people to lead. We are helping build the next generation of technologists, thinkers, and internet architects.”
“The programme will focus on ensuring there is a pipeline of skilled technologists and policy leaders able to engage in global internet governance.”
Benefits for Rotorua include upskilling local youth thru accredited programmes while giving them access to international forums, building a future-ready workforce, and boosting the city’s profile as a hub for innovation and Indigenous tech education.
Programme development runs through 2025 and includes NZQA accreditation and curriculum testing. Delivery will begin in 2026.