Netsafe is expanding into Dunedin with a new South Island office.
Chief executive Brent Carey said Dunedin was a fitting backdrop for Netsafe’s South Island physical presence because of the student population and the growing technology sector.
Establishing a base in Dunedin aligned seamlessly with its mission to promote online safety and digital wellbeing throughout New Zealand.
"Dunedin’s cutting-edge academic and technological landscape provides a solid foundation for our work.
"This move enables us to engage with a diverse and large tertiary student audience like never before," Mr Carey said.
Netsafe’s chief customer officer Leanne Ross— who has led a team from Dunedin for two years — said the Dunedin team was eager to forge new relationships and strengthen existing ones within the lower South Island communities of Otago and Southland.
"The new office will act as a central hub for Netsafe’s South Island initiatives, fostering closer collaboration with local communities, educational institutions, and industry partners.
"This strategic expansion is set to bolster Netsafe's ongoing efforts to innovate and develop home grown state-of-the-art resources for online safety."
The team of three people might grow in time, depending on funding and the potential expansion of harm prevention education projects, she said.
While the office was not public-facing, the Dunedin-based Netsafe team was keen to make collaborative and potential partnership connections for funded project opportunities in the Southland and Central Otago regions, Ms Ross said.
