Internet infrastructure in a changing climate

Climate change and extreme weather events are increasingly testing the resilience of New Zealand's Internet infrastructure, when Internet access is a critical part of everyday lives and a lifeline for communities during emergencies.

 

In early 2023, many communities across Aotearoa experienced firsthand how weather-related disruptions to Internet connectivity impact their lives and compound the challenges of disaster response and recovery. Drawing from these experiences and supported by the Internet Society Foundation, this collaborative research initiative will work to strengthen the ability of New Zealand communities to face climate impacts and extreme weather events by improving the resilience of our national Internet infrastructure.

 

At the heart of this project is the creation of an Internet Infrastructure Climate Resilience Coalition, an action-focused initiative bringing together diverse stakeholders from industry, government, research, and communities to share insights, learn collectively, and develop practical solutions. 

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By fostering collaboration across sectors, we aim to better understand the vulnerabilities and the complex systems that impact Internet infrastructure, including the links with communities and community wellbeing.  The research will support collaborative work to identify actions which can be taken to enhance the resilience of New Zealand's Internet infrastructure, and through this the resilience of our communities. The coalition's work begins in 2025 and extends into 2026, complemented by comprehensive desk research.

 

This project represents a collaboration between Dr Ellen Strickland, the Brainbox Institute and the New Zealand Telecommunications Forum, building on insights from the Critical Infrastructure Lab at the University of Amsterdam. 

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We invite organisations and individuals working in Internet infrastructure, climate resilience, emergency response, or community support to join us in this important work. Whether you'd like to actively participate in the coalition, have some experience or expertise you want to feed into the research, or simply want to stay informed about the project's development, we welcome your engagement. Register your interest using the form linked below, or through our contact page.