REANNZ develops and supports a range of products and services to support the specialist needs of our members in the R&E and innovation community.
We operate NZ's national research and education network and seamlessly connect with 120+ networks globally to enable researchers to collaborate.
REANNZ is proud to support the specialist needs of our members from NZ's research, education and innovation community.
Find out more about who REANNZ is, what we do and the people that operate New Zealand’s national research and education network.
Global partnerships are crucial for advancing research and education in an increasingly interconnected world.
REANNZ is an active member of the global network of over 120 NRENs, and our international partnerships provide significant benefits. These include access to innovative product research and a stronger network for our members.
Innovative new products and services
NRENs have always been innovators, with early research network roles playing a significant role in the development of internet and email. By partnering with the international NREN community, REANNZ can offer our researchers, educators, and students the latest digital infrastructure and services.
As a smaller organisation, REANNZ’s strategy is to be a fast follower of innovation. We engage with our members about their needs, and source and test new products from international NRENs. In our current product catalogue, this includes eduGain and eduroam from GÉANT – a collaboration of European NRENs.
Working together on a stronger, safer network
As global NREN networks are typically non-profit, members often share tools, expertise, and even network resources to benefit the global community. In August 2023, the University of Hawai’i had an issue affecting their high-performance connection between Hawaii and the US mainland. REANNZ resolved the issue about 20 minutes after they got in touch by providing a backup path. The University and REANNZ are regular collaborators in PIREN (Pacific Island Research Education Network), which was a key reason why we could respond so quickly.
This collaborative spirit extends to sharing network tools and expertise. In 2023/24, AARNet (Australia) shared their expertise by reviewing our proposed core network hardware solution, while Sikt (Norway) provided REANNZ with open- source Argus software for improving incident management on our network. We have since developed software to integrate Argus into our monitoring platform and will be providing it open source for the wider NREN community.
Our commitment to global collaboration is further shown by our leadership’s contribution to international and regional forums, with REANNZ Chief Executive, Amber McEwen, playing a key role. In February 2024, she represented New Zealand at the global CE forum for research and education networks in Sydney, which included strategic discussions addressing AI, routing security, and cybersecurity. Regionally, Amber serves as a governor on Asi@Connect, which connects the Asia-Pacific and European research communities.
In February 2024, REANNZ hosted the eResearch 2024 Conference in Wellington, a collaborative initiative organised by REANNZ, NeSI and Genomics Aotearoa. The conference brings together national and international speakers and provides valuable networking and learning opportunities for researchers. REANNZ staff also contribute to global working groups and present at NREN events. In June 2024, Head of Network, Yeshaswini Ramesh, shared our cybersecurity lessons at an international conference in France.
Summary of impact
REANNZ's global partnerships and active involvement in the international NREN community are pivotal to our success in advancing research and education. By embracing innovations and collaborating with global peers, we ensure that our members benefit from the latest digital infrastructure and services. Looking ahead, we will continue to build on these international relationships to drive further innovation and enhance network resilience.
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