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Kia Ora,

Welcome to our latest newsletter. It’s been a busy few months since we last wrote.

Whilst we often catch up with our Members at our AGM in Auckland, or at NZNOG and AusNOG, we understand the importance of reaching out beyond our usual hubs. With this in mind, we were excited to host a member outreach event in Christchurch. As we operate IXs in both Wellington and Christchurch, these cities were the natural first choices for our outreach efforts. Read more about the event here.

Fresh off the heels of NZNOG, it was fantastic to witness the sea of our iconic hoodies once again dominating the conference. Truly, it’s become the geek attire of choice, and we wear ours with pride.

For those who missed it, Aaron provided a comprehensive technical update on the IX, while I shared some insights into the proposed changes for the year ahead. Read the NZNOG item for further information and YouTube links.

Our next big gathering will be our AGM, which will be held this year on August 1st. This will be an important AGM as it will have Committee seat voting, proposed rule changes, and even a new society to boot (of sorts). Please read more about our upcoming society rule changes here.

In other news, our IX continues to experience unprecedented activity, largely thanks to Fortnite! We are also thrilled to welcome some new Members but it’s worth noting, however, that not all our Members are on the route servers, so you might be inspired to reach out? Maybe start with that really big bookstore or the makers of our beloved Windows based, network diagram application.

As always, when peering with larger Members you will need an up-to-date PeeringDB entry. Is yours current?

Lastly, a big thanks to all of the staff and volunteers who make our IXs possible. Interested in joining the team? Did I mention we have some elections this year…? Just something to consider!

Cheers,
Dave

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Despite the nearby Port Hills being ablaze, around a dozen resilient Members and their companions came together for our social at Cassels Brewing Co. in February. In the midst of adversity, our meetup still proved invaluable.

Beyond merely sampling brews, it became an insightful forum in which Members provided feedback on products, along with discussions on the local LFC (local fibre company) and data centre landscape. While we often seek input through NOGs and surveys, there’s immense value in simply conversing with our Members to understand what truly matters to them.

Cassels provided wonderful beer and food, while the company provided excellent banter. But reflecting on the event, the Committee remains contemplative. Though attendance was respectable and feedback fruitful, the investment of time and resources prompts reflection on its success. Your input would be appreciated as we consider the value of future gatherings. Wellington will be the next potential host if we continue with these types of events. Please let us know your thoughts.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in Christchurch. Your participation and insights are invaluable as we strive to better serve our Members and enhance our offerings.

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In November 2023, I had the privilege of attending Peering Asia, held in the vibrant city of Seoul, South Korea.

Before the main event commenced, I attended the Asia Pacific Internet Exchange Association (APIX) meeting, where many of the region’s Internet stakeholders converge to share experiences, tackle challenges, and explore cutting-edge technologies shaping our digital landscape.

APIX gatherings are an invaluable opportunity to glean insights from others’ experiences, ensuring we stay ahead of the curve in navigating the ever-evolving Internet ecosystem. From discussing best practices, to addressing emerging risks and standards, APIX sets the stage for collaboration and continuous learning.

As Peering Asia unfolded, it became evident why it’s such an important event for industry leaders. Drawing a diverse array of participants, including hyper-scalers, content distributors, transit providers, internet exchanges, and service providers, Peering Asia serves as a dynamic forum for fostering connections and driving innovation.

Representing NZIX, I had the privilege of engaging with existing international Members along with a number of potential peers to discuss their needs and data centre locations. Throughout the event, the emphasis was on facilitating meaningful interactions and partnerships. From engaging presentations to fruitful networking sessions, Peering Asia provided me with great opportunities to network and forge new alliances.

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This year’s Annual General Meeting, scheduled for August 1st, marks a significant milestone for AKL-IX. With three Committee seats up for election, we’re proposing changes to promote greater local representation within our leadership.

Currently, IAA (Internet Association of Australia) holds two seats on our Committee, with the remaining five seats elected by our Members, as governed by our Society Rules. Initially established in 2016 to safeguard IAA’s interests during AKL-IX’s inception, this structure has served its purpose. Now, with all debts settled and our IX(es) thriving, we’re proposing a shift. Our plan is to reduce IAA’s Committee presence to one seat and increase the elected seats to six, requiring amendments to our Society Rules.

As a result, this year’s election will see the selection of three Committee Members, alongside the appointment of an additional Member to replace the vacated IAA seat, if our proposed changes are approved. The process for appointing the seventh Member is under consideration.

In addition to these internal changes, we will also address some external factors. New Zealand has recently had new Societies Act introduced. We intend to seek approval at the AGM to re-register under this legislation, aligning our operations with the updated legal framework.

All in all, it will be a busy AGM for everyone involved. There will be a great deal of communications from us due to this, and we appreciate your understanding and patience as we work through the changes. We’re committed to keeping you informed every step of the way. If you wish to adjust your communication preferences, you can do so conveniently in the portal.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we work towards a stronger, more inclusive future for AKL-IX.

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This year we headed to ‘not so sunny’ Nelson for the 2024 NZNOG. It was another great conference, and this was another year of NZIX getting behind the NOG and returning as gold sponsors.

A great time was had by all delegates, whether you checked out the Nelson Classic Car Museum or braved the torrential rain to go (all weather) go karting. We enjoyed this annual opportunity to catch up with existing members, talk up the IX to any-and-all prospective Members and generally just get to know a bit more about what’s happening in the industry.

If you made it to the NZIX stand, you might have scored yourself one of our Blunt umbrellas (which came in very handy) or a Bellroy Tech Kit. Tanzia, our Executive Officer, was also handing out cage nut tools and left over carabiners from last year, along with pens, lollies, and a couple of beer glasses! Everything was so well received that we shipped 13 boxes to Nelson and only 3 boxes home. We stand by offering great quality products, and we hope you love them as much as we do!

Aaron Chidiac, our amazing NZIX peering engineer, was back at the NOG this year and gave a comprehensive update on our 3 exchanges, our recent Auckland upgrades and our future plans for a new Portal. If you missed seeing it, you can watch the full Tech Update here.

Further to the technical update, NZIX Chair, Dave Mill provided a quick summary of some upcoming governance changes that are happening this year and put out a big-shout out for people to consider nominating to be an NZIX Committee Member later this year (ideally Kiwis 😊). If you think that could be you, look out for our AGM communications starting early June for all the details.

It was a fun and interesting two days, with some great presentations and lightning talks. If you want to watch or rewatch any of the action, the YouTube links are available – Day 1 and Day 2

Next year the NOG heads to Napier and we can’t wait to see everyone there!

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Join us for the NZIX social, in Christchurch for a fun evening of nibbles, drinks and socialising.

Committee Members Dave Mill, Chris Browning and Simon Allard will be there. We can’t wait to catch up with you and share all our latest news!

When: Thursday, 15 Feb 2024, from 5.30pm 
Where: Cassels Brewing Co, 3 Garlands Road, Woolston, Christchurch
RSVP: via the Members Portal now or drop us an email to events@ix.nz

We hope to see you there!

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This year’s Embargo Period is from close of business, Friday, 22 December 2023 through to Sunday, 7 January 2024 (inclusive).

Please be advised that we won’t be provisioning new services or changing existing ones during this period, and all orders and change requests must be received by Friday, 8 December 2023, 5:00pm NZDT.

Rest assured, support staff will be on call to deal with urgent issues or network emergencies should they arise.

If you would like any further information or have any queries regarding the network embargo period, please get in touch at admin@ix.nz

We wish you a well-deserved break!

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On Thursday 27 July the Committee of the New Zealand Internet Exchange Inc (NZIX) held its 2023 Annual General Meeting.

This was our third year of holding a hybrid AGM and we welcomed our members and industry guests, both in person at the Longroom in Auckland, and online via Zoom.  We thank all guests who attended, but particularly those who braved the wind and rain to join us in person!

Society Chair, Dave Mil of Searchlight, commenced the formalities of the AGM by welcoming everyone and giving his Chair’s Report. He provided an update on the Auckland IX Expansion project, MDR floor move, launching of our new Datacom PoP and our new IX in Wellington.

Treasurer Chris Browning was pleased to announce that at the end of the 2022/23 financial year NZIX had $417k cash on hand, $219k profit before depreciation, $93k net profit and $552k equity. Also notable is that we carry no loans or other debt.

Jocelyn Bateman stood in for Tom Paseka (who was unable to join us in-person from California this year) and ran through NZIX membership growth, policies changes and confirmed there will be 3 Committee seats up for nomination next year. The new Societies Act 2022 will prompt some changes to our Society Rules and we expect those changes to be ready to vote on at next year’s AGM.

Aaron Chidiac from IAA delivered the technical report breaking down each IX and reporting on peers, traffic, routes and ports. Auckland IX had big changes over the year, with the Auckland Expansion project completing. Whilst the other two exchanges remained relatively unchanged, but ticking along nicely.

With no elections or voting this year the meeting concluded with a member discussion and everyone at the Longroom enjoyed a few drinks and nibbles as well.

We sent out a post-event survey that returned some overwhelmingly positive feedback and a couple of notes of improvements. Thank you to those who completed the survey; your feedback is valuable and always welcome. For those who were unable to attend, if you would like to see the AGM slides, they are available by request.

If you would like any additional information, or have any feedback, please do not hesitate to reach out to the team via info@ix.nz.

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It was well over a year ago when we let all our members know about our plans to expand and upgrade the AKL-IX. And if we’re being honest, the planning and quoting and planning and quoting started awhile before that.

We are so happy to confirm that all the planned work has been completed and you can now find the IX has:

  • A new POP at Datacom Orbit Drive
  • A diverse west path (avoiding the bridge)
  • 400G redundant and diverse ring!

And looks like this . . .

A diagram of a computer network

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This project took many man hours from both the NZIX Committee and the IAA technical team and after some unexpected delays, we are delighted to close off this project and move onto the next one.

Thank you to everyone involved in making this happen and we hope our members enjoy their new AKL-IX redundant and diverse ring!

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We’re delighted to announce our newest Member to the NZIX — Telstra Global (AS4637) — taking up their first 10G port in AKL-IX! This is great news for our smaller networks and kudos to Telstra for taking the initiative on joining our peering fabric and establishing a session with the route servers!

As it stands, Telstra have only dipped their toes this side of the pond by announcing their international only prefixes as domestic Australian prefixes (AS1221) are yet to be seen, but we’re optimistic they will in time and this should permit a better alternative for networks connecting to Telstra AU domestic rather than routing via Singapore, here’s hoping that this is a taste of bigger things to come!

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