[New-imc] Introduction to Aotearoa Indymedia

[Strypey of Aotearoa]

Introduction to Aotearoa Indymedia 

For those unfamiliar with it Aotearoa (also known as New Zealand) is a 
pacific nation southwest of Australia with a population of around 3 million 
people. It consists of two main islands, Te Ika a Maui (the North Island) 
and Te Wai Pounamu (the South Island) and a number of smaller 
populated islands including Stewart, the Chathams, Waiheke and Great 
Barrier.

The indigenous people of Aotearoa, the Maori, are estimated to have lived 
here undisturbed for around 2000 years. The late 1700s and early 1800s 
saw the first arrival of Europeans in Aotearoa was, first as hunters and 
traders and later as christian missionaries and colonists. Although a 
spokescouncil of Maori rangatira (leaders) signed a Declaration of 
Independence in 1835 asserting their right to community self-rule, the 
Treaty of Waitangi (1840) is claimed to hand over all sovereignty over 
Aotearoa to the New Zealand state, with its westminster-style parliament.  
Although the state was granted 'autonomy' from British Rule in after WWI, 
it is still a member of the Commonwealth and recognizes the British 
monarch as its head of State.

The Aotearoa IMC (AIMC) is a project of the Aotearoa Independent Media 
(AIM) network, which aims to facilitate communication and co-operation 
between independent activists, journalists, photographers, videographers, 
sound recordists and webworkers active in the islands of Aotearoa. The  
AIMC website will exist to provide an organising centre and a forum for the 
work of its participants and the public at large.

So far AIM has organised groups having regular meetings in the three 
largest cities, Auckland and Wellington in the North Island and 
Christchurch in the South Island. Each group has a core of about 10 
people with various others participating as they are able.

Christchurch IM already has a public-access space, hosted by the 
Interactive centre. Wellington IM has a base in the Peace and Enviroment 
Centre with plans to establish its own space in the coming months. 
Auckland has gathered an impressive range of equipment including a PA 
system and video projector and have their own plans for a drop-in centre 
when they can find an affordable and easily accessible space .

We have list members in other cities including Dunedin and Nelson 
in the South Island and Hamilton in the North Island who are planning to 
convene their local groups when a full-featured Aotearoa Indymedia 
website is up and running. We also have various people from other smaller 
towns who have expressed interest in being part of AIM and Indymedia in 
general.

With so many people involved, dispersed over such a wide area, it may 
eventually be desirable to establish each city as an IMC in its own right, 
although this may not be appropriate considering that many city-based 
IMCs service more people than the entire population of Aotearoa. All 
things considered we feel that developing a single Indymedia website, 
considering the challenges of presenting as much content as possible in 
both English and Maori, is a realistic project for now.


Ethos Statement

We AIM to provide a decentralised internet media forum for voices and
viewpoints currently suppressed or distorted by the commercial imperatives
of corporate and government-backed media

We AIM to create "virtual" and real-life networks between grass roots
community groups and NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations)

We AIM to open access to media technology so all groups can speak for
themselves

We AIM to promote the participation of citizens in social, environmental 
and political issues that affect communities at local, national and global
levels

We take AIM at profit-driven media and its manipulation of the public mind

We believe that people taking back their voices is both vital to 
empowering individuals to define themselves as citizens rather than 
consumers, and creating sustainable communities


Contacts:

AIM communicates and makes decisions using an email mailing list: <imc-
aotearoa at lists.indymedia.org>.

New-IMC rep: Nate <nate at natecull.org> ?

Tech team: <imc-aotearoa-tech at lists.indymedia.org>

Tech co-ordinator: Miles <miles at cyberelves.co.nz

The local groups are also in contact by email using YahooGripes lists and 
block addresses. We are currently discussing whether we want to request 
lists.Indymedia egroups for each local group.

RnB,
Strypey


"Offence cannot be given it can only be taken."

"The movement that does not value it's heretics (dissenters) will soon grow 
old and stale and stagnant. The movement that does not at least tolerate 
it's heretics (dissenters) has nothing at all to do with any liberation of any 
kind ..... it merely seeks to create an oppression more to it's own liking."


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/diyweb
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/no-borders

Aotearoa Indymedia - non-profit and open publishing
http://www.indymedia.org.nz