Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand 2026-2029
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Applicant information
[edit]- Organization name or Wikimedia Username for individuals. (required)
- Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand Incorporated
- Do you have any approved General Support Fund requests? (required)
- Yes, I have already applied and received a General Support Fund
- You are applying as a(n). (required)
- Wikimedia Affiliate (chapter, thematic org., or user group)
- Are your group or organization legally registered in your country? (required)
- Yes
- Do you have a fiscal sponsor?
- No
- Fiscal organization name.
- N/A
- Please provide links to the following documents if they are available
These documentation can be provided in your local language(s), no translations required.
- Organizational website
- Detailed financial reporting and/or audits
- Documentation of the governance structure, board list, governance processes
- Documentation of the general assembly decision on your plan
- Website: https://www.wikimedia.nz/
2024 Financial Performance Report: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13oknvA7UY3I5biGrPQtXtBWZaobEq-lZ/view?usp=drive_link - the 2025 has not yet been received from our accountants, but is imminent
Constitution: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N_hAZXvtHggnweqbPt_JXaahQ6zUVFD2/view?usp=drive_link - this document provides our governance structure and processes
Board members: Victoria Leachman (President) Marshall (Treasurer) David (Secretary) Lisa (Vice President) Axel (Board member) David (Board member) Helen (Board member) - resigned effective from May 2026 AGM James - (proposed Board member) Kate (proposed Board member) Lily (proposed Board member)
Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand invited our community to offer input in our strategic plan through our meta page: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Aotearoa_New_Zealand
We set up a meta page for feedback: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Aotearoa_New_Zealand_Strategy_2026_2030
The Executive Adviser, and Board members, stayed online at Aotearoa online meetups for feedback and discussions about our strategic plan with our community November and December 2025: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/Aotearoa_New_Zealand_Online/68, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/Aotearoa_New_Zealand_Online/69.
Though our newsletters, and website we invited our community to consult on our strategic plan, which underpins our funding application: https://www.wikimedia.nz/news/
Main proposal
[edit]- 1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be a title for the Meta-Wiki page. (required)
- Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand 2026-2029
- 2. Do you want to apply for the multi-year base funding for 3 years? (required) (only for returning applicants)
- Yes
- 2.1. Provide a brief overview of Year 2 and Year 3 of the proposed plan and how this relates to the current proposal and your strategic plan? (required)
Year 2 and 3 our programmes will continue along the same lines as Year 1. We expect to have a clearer understanding of what our engagement and programmes with Māori look like after we develop our strategy in Year 1.
We plan to hire a part-time Programme Officer in Year 2 if our growth continues at the current rate. This will be dependent on ESEAP budget constraints. Our 2026-2030 Strategic Plan outlines the engagement and activities we are planning, and our 2026 Outreach Plan is specific about the organisations we want to engage with and how we plan to go about it.
We will continue to support our successful Wikimedian in Residence programmes in the GLAM and University sectors, cement our main centre meetups, and move towards development of editor bases in one or two regions.
In Year 2 and 3 we will have a better understanding of what engagement with Māori will involve to improve and support our indigenous people’s understanding and involvement on Wikimedia platforms.
- 3. Proposed start date. (required)
- 2026-07-01
- 4. Proposed end date. (required)
- 2029-06-30
- 5. Does your organization or group have an Affiliate or Organizational Annual Plan that can help us understand your proposal? If yes, please provide it. (required)
- Yes
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WnaaYjzfFm704FAqIgI-j8Yzih2Px9qW/view?usp=drive_link
- 6. Does your affiliate, organization or group have a Strategic Plan that can help us understand your proposal? If yes, please provide it. (required)
- Yes
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WnaaYjzfFm704FAqIgI-j8Yzih2Px9qW/view?usp=drive_link
- 7. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
- New Zealand
- 8. What are your programs, approaches, and strategies? What are the challenges that you are trying to address and how will your strategies support you in addressing these challenges? (required)
Our main programmes are the funding and support of Wikipedian at Large and Wikipedian in Residence positions, and the support of local editathons and regional meetups. Our current programmes are described in an easy-to-read format in our draft Annual Community Activity Report 2025/26 in Meta. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Aotearoa_New_Zealand/Annual_Community_Activity_Report_2025/26. We urge readers of this submission to read our draft Community Activity Report, to help them understand our work and our community. This three year funding submission proposes to continue with programmes similar to those described in the activity report. Our support of Wikipedian at Large projects, Wikipedian in Residence projects and local editathons has greatly improved content in several of the WMF platforms. However, growing the number of editors remains a significant challenge. The long term trend of active editors in New Zealand is stable, but we seek to grow the number. The Wikimedian in Residence project at University of Otago is one of our key initiatives that aims to grow the movement. The project is already introducing academics and a large number of tertiary students to the power of open knowledge systems through WMF platforms. We have links with other tertiary institutions in New Zealand and plan to grow these relationships. We seek to engage more young people through the use of Wikipedia as part of the learning programmes.. Our relationships with multiple GLAM institutions are also key to building engagement that will grow the movement. As one example, the summer student programme at Auckland Museum, supported by the Wikipedian in Residence, has introduced young people to writing for Wikipedia.
The challenges that face us today include: Recruiting Board members. We face difficulties in recruiting suitable people for our Board. We recognise that a more diverse board membership would make us a more effective chapter, and have recently recruited two young people who have been student interns in the Auckland Museum Wikipedia programme.
Diversity: We know that the demographics of the people editing Wikipedia in Aotearoa New Zealand does not represent the demographics of the country. In particular, Māori and Pasifika people are under-represented. There are cultural, socioeconomic, and digital divide barriers to increasing their participation. The Board is continuing to work on strategies for improving engagement.
There are active editors and organisers from the LGBTQI+ community in Aotearoa New Zealand. We plan to develop programmes of events in partnership with those contacts.
We have active editors and organisers focussed on contributing to the Women in Red project. We are committed to maintaining the representation of women in the governance of the chapter and supporting developing women as organisers and editors.
Outreach to the GLAM sector: We are working to extend our existing engagement with the GLAM sector by building on the experience of our relationship with Auckland Museum in particular. We have had contacts from other GLAM organisations and plan to develop new relationships.
Outreach to universities. The Wikimedian-in-Residence programme at University of Otago is an important new initiative that we anticipate will build engagement and provide experience and models that we can offer to other tertiary institutions.
Training editors and event organisers: We continue to draw on the expertise of a small number of highly active editors and organisers in New Zealand. We are upskilling our paid team, curating learning resources to draw on for training in events management. We are working with the Australian chapter on developing resources to build a well designed learning journey for new editors and to support established editors to improve their editing practice.
Maintaining connection: We will continue to focus on developing the Wiki community within New Zealand and maintaining connections with the international community. Our programmes will include regular meetups, editathons, and the annual Wikicon. We have learnt that supporting other organisations to run effective public programmes can significantly expand the numbers of events that are available so will continue with this approach in addition to our own programme.
- 9. What categories are your main programs and related activities under? Please select all that apply. (required)
| Category | Yes/No |
|---|---|
| Education | Yes |
| Culture, heritage or GLAM | Yes |
| Gender and diversity | Yes |
| Community support and engagement | Yes |
| Participation in campaigns and contests | Yes |
| Public policy advocacy | No |
| Technology (software development) | No |
| Other | No |
Education
- 9.1.1. Select all your programs and activities for Education. (required)
- Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom or other Reading/Evaluating Wikipedia Training, Editing Wikipedia Training, Translation, Research
- Other programs and activities if any: N/A
- 9.1.2. Select all relevant audience groups for Education. (required)
- Vocational, tertiary, or higher education, Teachers or professors
- Other groups if any: N/A
Culture, heritage or GLAM
- 9.2. Select all your programs and activities for Culture, heritage or GLAM. (required)
- Introducing new approaches to underrepresented culture and heritage, e.g. decolonising or reparative work; oral and visual knowledge; outreach to communities of origin, indigenous and first nations self-determination, Supporting institutions to open up their collections, data, metadata, and research, Supporting GLAM professionals to incorporate use of Wikimedia in their work, through documentation, training, or Wikimedian in Residence programs, Partnering with institutions, professional associations, and allied organizations to raise awareness of open culture, ethical sharing, and related issues
- Other programs and activities if any: N/A
Gender and diversity
- 9.3. Select all your programs and activities for Gender and diversity.
- Bringing in women and/or gender diverse participants and editors, Focusing on creating content about women and/or gender diverse groups, including biographies, intersectional topic areas and/or adding images, Focusing on creating content about marginalized (underrepresented) communities and their knowledge, Focusing on knowledge equity by bringing in contributors from underrepresented communities, Building organizer skills in women and diversity groups, Fomenting female leadership within the movement (either staff, members or boards)
- Other programs and activities if any: N/A
Community support and engagement
- 9.4. Select all your programs and activities for Community support and engagement.
- On-wiki training of community members, Organizing meetups, conferences, and community events, Supporting community members' participation in events and conferences, Offering micro-funding and other financial support to community members , Offering non financial support and services to community members (equipment, space, books, etc.)
- Other programs and activities if any: N/A
Participation in campaigns and contests
- 9.5. Select all campaigns that apply. (required)
- 1Lib1Ref, Other, Wiki Loves Monuments
- Other programs and activities if any: Women in Red
Wiki Science Competition
- 10. Please include a link to or upload a timeline (operational calendar) for your programs and activities. (required)
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fL7uiQ18ygH6AUBZq9qeW75ZxcySErpvMxW6_mYynog/edit?usp=drive_link
- 11. Describe your team. (required)
Dianne Skelton (contractor), Executive Adviser, .75 FTE, dianne@wikimedia.nz
Sophie Sparrow (contractor), Marketing and Communications Coordinator, .5 FTE, sophie@wikimedia.nz
- 12. Will you be working with any internal (Wikimedia) or external partners? Describe the characteristics of these partnerships and bring a few examples of the most significant partnerships. (required)
We collaborate with our Wikimedia partners in Australia and more recently with Peru thematic (culture, gender and ecology), as well as external organizations. In partnership with Wikimedia Australia (WMAU), we have joint initiatives such as the 1Lib1Ref campaign and the Wiki Science photography competition. Our teams actively participate in each other’s annual conferences as speakers and presenters, fostering knowledge exchange and collaboration.
In Aotearoa New Zealand, we are eager to learn from Australia’s work with First Nations communities. Our goal is to develop guidelines that will enhance our engagement with Māori, ensuring respectful and effective collaboration.
The activities of our external partners, including Auckland Museum, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Otago University, and Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, are instrumental in our efforts to grow the movement and increase and improve contributions to Wikimedia Projects. We intend to grow our external partnerships by responding proactively to approaches for assistance and guidance and by continuing to promote WANZ’s existence with like minded organisations.
A significant portion of our funding is dedicated to joint partnership activities. These collaborations have led to improved engagement by partners in the Wikiverse, training of new editors, continued engagement of existing editors through a range of community events, outreach to other partners, and additions of new content and substantial improvements to existing content on our priority projects of EN Wikipedia, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons and Wikisource.
To expand our reach, we have developed a comprehensive Outreach Plan aimed at engaging with aligned organisations. This plan is designed to stretch WANZ into new relationships and includes seeking shared funding opportunities, collaborating on projects and events, and presenting to audiences that can help us grow our community of editors and organizers.
- 13. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select all that apply. (required)
- Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement, Provide for Safety and Inclusion, Ensure Equity in Decision-making, Invest in Skills and Leadership Development, Identify Topics for Impact, Evaluate, Iterate, and Adapt
Metrics
[edit]Wikimedia Metrics
[edit]- 14. Please select and fill out Wikimedia Metrics for your proposal. (recommended)
- 14.1. Number of participants, editors, and organizers.
All metrics provided are optional, please fill them out if they are aligned with your programs and activities.
| Metrics name | Target | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of all participants | 450 | Number of all participants: Existing and new participants involved in activities funded by the grant. It can include people that participate in events, training, campaigns, etc. It includes people that edit as well as those that participate in other ways |
| Number of all editors | 120 | Number of all editors: Existing and new editors involved in activities funded by the grant: 120
Number of new editors: Newly registered editors brought in by activities funded by the grant: 15 Number of retained editors is too difficult and time consuming to capture/measure |
| Number of new editors | 15 | |
| Number of retained editors | 0 | |
| Number of all organizers | 25 | N/A |
| Number of new organizers | 7 |
- 14.2. Number of new content contributions to Wikimedia projects. (recommended)
| Wikimedia project | Created | Edited or improved |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 400 | 300 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 1000 | 0 |
| Wikidata | 1100 | 75 |
| Wiktionary | ||
| Wikisource | ||
| Wikimedia Incubator | ||
| Translatewiki | ||
| MediaWiki | ||
| Wikiquote | ||
| Wikivoyage | ||
| Wikibooks | ||
| Wikiversity | ||
| Wikinews | ||
| Wikispecies | ||
| Wikifunctions / Abstract Wikipedia |
- Description for Wikimedia projects contributions metrics. (optional)
Other Metrics
[edit]- 15. Do you have other quantitative and qualitative targets for your project (other metrics)? (required)
- Yes
| Other Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Number of paid members | Paid up members of Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand | 60 |
| Number of events | Number of meetups, editathons, or teaching / learning / creating content events, plus number of people attending editathons WANZ has organised or assisted with funding | 70 |
| Media stories | Number of media engagements (inclusive of radio, print, online) | 15 |
| Volunteer hours | Hours spent on activities by people involved in WANZ activities, and events funded and promoted by WANZ | 1100 |
| Outreach events | Attendance, presenters by members representing chapter (international Wikimedia events, national/international events with a public domain component) | 10 |
Budget
[edit]- 16. Will you have any other revenue sources when implementing this proposal (e.g. other funding, membership contributions, donations)? (required)
- Yes
- 16.1. List other revenue sources. (required)
Membership dues
- 16.2. Approximately how much revenue will you have from other sources in your local currency? (required)
- 350
- 17. Your local currency. (required)
- NZD
- 18. What is the total requested amount in your local currency? (required)
- 1164276 NZD
| Year | Amount (local currency) |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | 371628 NZD |
| Year 2 | 390985 NZD |
| Year 3 | 401663 NZD |
- Requested amount in USD
- 677492.2 USD [note 1]
| Year | Amount USD [note 1] |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | N/A USD |
| Year 2 | N/A USD |
| Year 3 | N/A USD |
- ↑ a b c The following amount in US dollars was calculated by Wikimedia Foundation staff using the fixed currency rates. This amount is approximate and may not reflect the actual currency exchange rates on the day of submission or distribution. If the application is funded, the funding will be sent in the recipient’s local currency.
- 19. Does this proposal include compensation for staff or contractors? (required)
- Yes
- 19.1. How many paid staff members do you plan to have? (required)
Include the number of staff and contractors during the proposal period. If you have short-term contractors or staff, please include them separately and mention their terms.
- Two part-time staff contractors -
1 x Executive Advisor .75 FTE 1 x Marketing and Communications Coordinator, .5 (FTE)
plus 1 x Programme Officer, .25 (FTE) - in Year 2
- 19.2. How many FTEs (full-time equivalents) in total? (required)
Include the total FTE of staff and contractors during the proposal period. If you have short-term contractors or staff, please include their FTEs with the terms separately.
- 1.25 FTE currently with Executive Advisor and Marketing and Communications Coordinator
1.5 FTEs from Year 2, Programme Officer
- 19.3. Describe any staff or contractor changes compared to the current year / ongoing General Support Fund if any. (required only for returning grantees)
- We plan to recruit a .25 FTE Programme Officer (10 hours a week) from Year 2
- 20. Please provide an overview of your overall budget categories in your local currency. The budget breakdown should include only the amount requested with this General Support Fund (required).
| Budget category | Amount in local currency |
|---|---|
| Staff and contractor costs | 127470 NZD |
| Operational costs | 26478 NZD |
| Programmatic costs | 200680 NZD |
- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
We have included a 5% increase on relevant budget lines in Year 2. Year 3 we have added an overall 5% budget increase as we expect costs to increase, but are unable to be more specific, this far out.
Additional information
[edit]- 22. In this optional space you can add any other additional information about your proposal or organization that you think can help us when reviewing your proposal. (optional)
We have included 3 x other public documents:
Māori Engagement Strategy Scoping Paper Background - Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand 2026 Outreach Plan
By submitting your proposal/funding request you confirm that you have read and agree to the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy, and the Universal Code of Conduct.
- Yes
Feedback
[edit]- Please add any feedback to the grant discussion page only. Any feedback added here will be removed.
- Wikimedia Community Fund/Proposals
- Wikimedia Community Fund/Proposals/Funded
- Education - General Support Funds in FY 2025-26
- Culture, heritage or GLAM - General Support Funds in FY 2025-26
- Gender and diversity - General Support Funds in FY 2025-26
- Community support and engagement - General Support Funds in FY 2025-26
- Participation in campaigns and contests - General Support Funds in FY 2025-26
- Funded General Support Funds for ESEAP in FY 2025-26
- Funded General Support Funds for ESEAP in FY 2025-26 (Round 2)
- General Support Funds for ESEAP in FY 2025-26 (Round 2)
- General Support Funds in FY 2025-26 (Round 2)
- Funded General Support Funds in FY 2025-26 (Round 2)
- General Support Fund proposals by Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand Incorporated
- Funded General Support Funds in FY 2025-26
- Ongoing Multi-year General Support Funds