Hello WANZ team,
Thank you for your application. We have completed the initial review of your application. Here are the combined comments from the review team (i.e. ESEAP Regional Funds Committee and ESEAP Programme Officer).
To summarise:
- Section 1f and Section 3 require your reply.
We look forward to your response by 13 April 2026. Please let us know if you require more time. We can adapt.
Thank you.
Regards, Jacqueline
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1) Does the proposal clearly demonstrate the following values for the Wikimedia movement, for the volunteer community, or for knowledge equity impact in general?
| Criteria
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Vote Count
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Observations/ Comments/ Clarifying question
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| a) Knowledge equity dimension is appropriately considered in the activities, content or target groups.
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8 ✅
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Engaging with Māori community
- We value that WANZ is committed to moving toward a systematic approach to knowledge equity. This is evidenced by the development of a formal Māori Engagement Strategy and the inclusion of a dedicated budget for expert guidance and cultural reciprocity (Koha). The proposal also introduces a structured leadership pipeline through a paid governance internship for Māori and Pasifika youth, addressing diversity gaps identified in recent editor surveys.
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| b) Practices to include the community of volunteers in the planning, implementation and reflections on the project, or some form of community endorsement for the work suggested is present.
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8 ✅
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Strong culture of communication and documentation
- Transparency and regional collaboration are integrated into the organization’s practices. WANZ maintains the publication of board meeting minutes and community activity reports to keep the membership informed.
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| c) Measures to maintain or improve community health, safety, and inclusivity are considered.
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8 ✅
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| d) Feedback from the community on how the project impacted them (e.g. their work, skills or capacities) is collected/planned to be collected and built upon in the next strategy or program planning.
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8 ✅
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| e) Activities to recruit or retain volunteers are included.
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8 ✅
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| f) Proposed activities and strategies are clear and respond well to the challenges presented.
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7 ✅
1❓
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Learning journey for new editors
- Your program aims to develop resources that create a well-designed learning journey for new editors. Could you share what you’ve learned from your years of training new editors?
- There are various learning materials in Wikipedia - is there anything specific in NZ Wikipedia which is different from other wiki?
- Does this work build on and adapt existing materials developed in other wiki languages, or does it involve creating entirely new approaches?
- Answer
- We are finding that the approach to new editors depends on the context. We are interested in developing learning pathways that suit the user. The new editor journey delivered by the WiR at Auckland Museum to tertiary level summer scholar students is excellent and results in well trained general editors who have been supported along their journey. When focused on attracting GLAM subject experts into editing Wikipedia (and other projects) as an outreach activity, it's been clear that the deep subject expertise they hold determines their learning journey and which learning resources are of most use to them. An example is the learning journey of User:Stitchbird2 who focuses on botanical articles and has moved into wiki advocacy within her professional sphere. Her learning journey was very taxonomic specific and we paired her with an experienced editor who was familiar with this part of the Wikiverse. The new editor training provided to newbies at edit-a-thons or meet ups links an experienced general editor alongside them with a follow up of sharing links to existing training resources for them. WANZ is starting to move into targeting the New Zealand education sector - in particular the tertiary sector. This entails not only providing training for editing but also training in how to train editing. Resources for all of these examples exist, it is more a matter of designing the pathway to put the new user in touch with resources at the right time and right stage of their journey.
- Our goal is to supply new editors with support and a journey of the training resources that are most likely to assist them. This includes not only written or video guides / how tos available on wiki but also video conferencing check ins and face to face sessions as well as information on regular meetups and editathons that might be available in their region. We are aiming for a holistic approach.
- We anticipate that new editors that are Māori may also have requirements and support needs that differ from other newbies. This may mean a change in training approach and recognition of a different cultural context rather than changing or adding to the available resources.
- Where possible we want to use or, if needed, adapt existing resources to suit the audience. With a limited number of trainers in New Zealand we are looking at methods to ensure newbies have avenues to get answers to their questions. An example of this is ensuring we regularly recommend and promote Wikimedia Australia’s drop in zoom sessions, and in the near future set up our own drop in introductory sessions that we will also make available and promote via Wikimedia Australia.
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| g) Cooperations and partnerships are built that have the potential to upscale thematic areas / large scale campaigns/ transfer to other regions and contexts, or provide synergies in activities of different groups.
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7 ✅
1❓
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| h) Valuable transferable methodologies, tactics, or strategies are applied (e.g. in a thematic area or in community revitalization).
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7 ✅
1❓
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| i) Activities are in line with the 2030 Movement Strategy Recommendations and initiatives.
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8 ✅
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- Appreciation for the progress: WANZ transitioned from a volunteer-led user group to a recognized Wikimedia chapter as of 2025. This development is accompanied by a shift from a "Working Board" to a "Governance Board" and the implementation of a 2026-2030 Strategic Plan. The proposal demonstrates alignment with the Wikimedia 2030 Movement Strategy recommendations, specifically regarding movement sustainability and organizational maturity.
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2) Does the proposal demonstrate a clear feasible pathway for implementation in the following aspects?
| Criteria
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Vote Count
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Observations/ Comments/ Clarifying question
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| a) The proposed scale and significance of the contributions are realistic, and are a result of the project (would not have materialized otherwise and demonstrate no duplication of effort/overlap with other similar projects and other communities’ activities).
(Reference questions: 5-organisational plan, 6-strategic plan, 8-programs, approaches, and strategies; 14 and 15 - metrics)
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8 ✅
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| b) The timeline of the delivery demonstrates feasibility.
(Reference questions -10 timeline)
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8 ✅
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| c) The capacity and role of involved team members, volunteers, subcontractors and external partners are clear and demonstrate the extent to which the implementing team as a whole brings together the necessary expertise.
(Reference questions 11- implementing team)
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8 ✅
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Gradual transition on operating model
- There is a progression in operational capacity through a phased staffing model over the grant period. The proposal builds on established methodologies such as the "Wikipedian at Large" and "Wikimedian in Residence" programs with national institutions like the Auckland Museum, Te Papa, and Otago University. These frameworks provide a basis for the expansion of activities into new regions and thematic areas beyond the main centers.
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| d) Budget: the planned implementation of revenues and expenses is reasonable, justified and reflects sustainability.
(Reference questions 16-22)
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8 ✅
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3) Overall evaluation
| Criteria
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Observations/ Comments/ Clarifying question
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| a) overall strengths of the proposal (or if grantee is returning, what positive changes / improvements / welcomed organizational developments, e.g. in governance, financial management, or transparency practices) that you can see:
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👏Appreciation + minor adjustments
- I welcome this very well-written and developed proposal. The supporting documents are clear. My only request would be a link to past outputs/final reports as well as future plans, but that is a small request made in the light of everything else being done well.
- Answer
- Thank you for the feedback. We have amended our manual of procedures a task to add links to past outputs / final reports as a reference with our next funding application. Here are examples of the final reports from the previous year.
- We greatly appreciate the high degree of completeness in this multi-year plan; it fully answers our questions, and the budget is very reasonable and well-organized. The only point worth mentioning is that perhaps with this level of funding, it's possible to pursue even larger goals.
- Answer
- Thank you for the feedback. We are aware of our funding level comparative to other affiliates and strive to maximise the return on investment. We are open to feedback on our strategic goals.
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| b) Do you have other overall recommendations / or do you see opportunities that the applicant could explore but have not?
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Brainstorming on peer learning opportunities
- I wonder if WANZ would be interested to find out more about how affiliates work with different communities in the ESEAP region. Some examples that come to mind are Taiwan, Indonesia and Malaysia.
- Answer
- Yes we would. Perhaps this could be organised between Jacqueline and our Executive Advisor, Dianne.
Brainstorming on Technical Capacity and Wikidata Integration
- The majority of the proposed activities focus on content creation for Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons.
- (Just a thought) We wonder if by increasing the focus on building technical capacity within the New Zealand volunteer base, specifically for Wikidata and structured data; would that allow WANZ to engage more deeply with scientific and governmental organizations that prioritize data interoperability?
- Do you know of organizations in New Zealand that would be interested in this?
- Answer
- The four Wiki projects we promote and have activities around and training for are Wikipedia-EN, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, and Wikisource. We acknowledge that data interoperability is of interest to us. We are targeting this by engaging with interested organisations that have senior leadership support for such engagement rather than building technical capability within the New Zealand volunteer base. We have found it more impactful to engage with the technical experts within an organisation rather than teach editors to be more technical. This has been a successful approach with the partnerships with Auckland Museum, Te Papa, and Manaaki Whenua Landcare New Zealand. We’ve also found that New Zealand impact is built on personal relationships. It’s not what you know, it's who you know in New Zealand. We’re successful with the GLAM sector because we have well known GLAM professionals within WANZ and successful with one government agency involved in biodiversity because of similar personal connections. This is currently the level of our capability and capacity.
- We are focused on the open knowledge / content sector of GLAMs, Universities and government agencies responsible for biodiversity within New Zealand. We carefully control the breadth of our scope to ensure we continue to make an impact on our focus areas and not spread ourselves too thin.
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| c) Do you have other, more general questions for the applicant?
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WANZ Board
- Would you be able to share what is the gender ratio on the WANZ Board?
- Answer
- We have 5 men and 5 women on our Board
Engaging with Māori community
- Are there plans to also have a specific strategy for engagement with the Pasifika community at some point?
- Answer
- Yes this remains a strategic goal for 2026-2030 but is not an operational priority for the next two years. Our focus is on Māori engagement at present.
Event management
- “We are upskilling our paid team, curating learning resources to draw on for training in events management” Could you elaborate more on what type of resources and training are you exploring for events management? And could you share an example of an existing operating template that you have for events management?
- Answer
- We are developing our own events manual. The manual provides guidance not only for WANZ run events but also assistance to new organisers to ensure they are supported when organising their own wiki events whether using WANZ funding or not. We want to be in a position to support others to be good organisers.
Membership Value Proposition
- Aside from the right to vote at the AGM, what is the organization's strategy for increasing the value proposition of formal membership to its wider volunteer community?
- Answer
- Our sales pitch is one of “join us to show your support for the work we do”. We also only provide funding to formal members of WANZ society. We don’t restrict signup to the newsletter as this is counterproductive to achieving our communication goals. Annual membership fees are kept minimal (the cost of an espresso) to maintain equity for those that have lower socioeconomic circumstances. We also acknowledge that not all volunteers will want to be members of the society. Our recent survey indicates we have work to do to ensure that all New Zealand wiki volunteers are aware of the existence of the WANZ society so they can choose whether to be members. There was a proportion of responders to the annual survey that were unaware of our existence up to that point and were also unaware of the events we support and offer. This is why we’re continuing to invest in communications expertise and also in on-wiki training for our support staff to ensure we can effectively reach out to editors that self identify as New Zealanders via their user talk pages.
Organizational Resilience
- As the organization moves toward a model with more paid staff, what formal succession plans or knowledge-transfer protocols has the Board established for key leadership positions, such as the Executive Director and Board Chair, to ensure continuity during potential personnel changes?
- Answer
- We are approaching a change in Board President this year. We have developed a procedural manual for most administrative activities and maintain organisational records that provide information on what has occurred in the past. Because the entire Board attends the annual strategy weekend and the annual business planning weekend on a six monthly cycle, institutional knowledge is also retained with other board members.
Long-term Impact and Measurement
- While the proposal includes metrics for editor diversity and content gaps, much of the strategic work is qualitative and long-term.
- Question: How does the organization plan to measure the "health" and "depth" of its institutional partnerships over the 2026–2029 period? Beyond the number of edits or uploads, what indicators will be used to determine if a partnership with a GLAM or University is truly sustainable and has reached a state of "business as usual" for that institution? (Or maybe another way to understand this question is what are the types of partnerships that you value? And what types of partnerships would you want to cultivate more of? Is there an example you can share?)
- Answer
- This is something we are developing iteratively for those partnerships that have a grant allocation provided by WANZ. Previously we have measured the success of grant achievements in the final report against the initial application. Now that we are growing in sophistication with our approach to maintaining and developing partners with our outreach plan, we need to expand our understanding of the “health” of these relationships. We are recognising that partnerships may develop without significant grants and / or continue after a grant project. We’ve begun to maintain relationship information on the organisations we engage with but do not yet have a formal measure on the health of those relationships. We will add this as a task onto the annual action plan for 2026/27.
Risk Management and Legal Compliance
- The strategic plan identifies a need to monitor legislative changes like the Copyright Act review and AI governance.
- Question: Given the depth of the legal landscape in Aotearoa New Zealand, does the Board have a structured process for identifying and mitigating organizational risks (e.g., data privacy, or employment law) beyond the "Quarterly check" mentioned in the activity plan? Are there plans to establish a dedicated risk subcommittee or seek legal support as needed?
- Answer
- We currently do not have a formal risk management plan. We will add this as a task to the annual action plan for 2026/27.
- Given the size of our organisation, we have no plans to set up a dedicated risk subcommittee.
- We are developing a Privacy Management Plan that follows the guidance provided by the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner: Poupou Matatapu Doing privacy well. We have identified the actions required for each section of the plan, and are progressively completing working through the actions required.
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JChen (WMF) (talk) 07:15, 30 March 2026 (UTC)Reply
Hello WANZ team,
Thank you for your responses to the follow-ups questions and for joining the call with the ESEAP Regional Funds Committee.
Congratulations! Your grant application has been approved in the amount of NZD 1,164,276 with a grant term starting 1 July 2026 and ending 30 June 2029.
- As the multi-year grant programme looks to provide one multi-year base funding for 3 years, the funding distribution will be year 1: NZD 388,092; year 2: NZD 388,092 and year 3: NZD 388,092. This also means you may accelerate the timeline for staff hire as needed (or whenever you are ready).
- In this next phase, use the time to experiment and build competencies in areas of unlocking of resources and partnerships (beyond the movement); and increasing the visibility and impact of your work at a local and perhaps (where aligned) at a regional and/or global scale.
- Please find in the table below, the consolidated final feedback of the RFC members
Final Feedback from RFC members
- A well considered multi-year plan and best wishes in implementation. A key part of the Wikimedia 2030 strategic direction is knowledge equity and actively including First Nations initiatives in the multi-year plan reflects a commitment to engaging underrepresented communities. I also appreciated the gender balance in the current board and efforts to encourage Māori representatives to stand for the Board in the coming years so that we can work towards equity in decision-making.
- The grant proposal and supplement documents are clear and match WMF's goals. The proposal also feels well-prepared and easy-to-read. The budget plan is reasonable and achievable in their 3-year timeline. Personally, I am looking to see WANZ to widen their abilities in the movement and to share their skillsets and expertise more actively. The only thing I wanted to point out is that the website did not include any annual report from the years after 2023-2024 in the "Our Funding" page: https://www.wikimedia.nz/our-funding/.
- The applicant answered our questions well and pledged to take positive action.
- I wonder if WANZ would be interested to share their best practices related to the culture of documentation. These can be shared at any platform at ESEAP Conferences, Summit, or meetings. Just a thought, you can include any references you use, the frameworks you follow, and how you collaborate with others to compile the documentation. I particularly appreciated the community activity reports (i.e. community activity reports seek to reflect the diversity of work that happens outside of the affiliate business plan but which the affiliate often supports).
- Thank you for the detailed grant application and the accompanying 2026-2030 Strategic Plan. I see a lot of value in your focus on direct content development, especially the initiatives aimed at closing knowledge gaps regarding Te Ao Māori, local history, and Aotearoa New Zealand women. I am also highly supportive of your plans to develop and retain editors with extended user rights and administrator tools. Given the global decline in active administrators, investing in the technical capacity of your local volunteer base is exactly the kind of programmatic work this fund is designed to support.
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Disbursement of Funds
To facilitate the funds disbursement process, we seek your prompt response on Fluxx and via emails with the WMF Grants Administrator team (grantsadmin@wikimedia.org). We highly encourage you to submit all supporting documents and endorse the grant agreements within the stipulated time frame. When in doubt, proactively reach out to the WMF Grants Administration team and copy your programme officer.
Change in implementation plan
We know even the best thought through plans may change.
In the event that there are changes to your implementation schedule, you can reach out to request for a grant extension (i.e. extend end date). Similarly, if there is a surplus budget or changes to your planned budget, you can reach out to me about reallocation (via email and on this talkpage). There is also the option to have the unspent funds deducted against a future grant. More details here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Return_unused_funds_to_WMF
Additional resources which may be useful
We thank you for your participation in the grant application process and hope to continue to journey with you as you embark on this project. Good luck!
Regards,
Jacqueline on behalf of the Review team JChen (WMF) (talk) 05:50, 26 May 2026 (UTC)Reply
