Key People
Since its inception in 1999, Computers in Homes has involved a team of committed people with energy and vision.
Dianne Das (MEd, Dip Tchg, NZ Cert Social Studies)
National Coordinator
Di Das holds a Masters in Maori and Pacific Education from Victoria University of Wellington. Her interest lies in empowerment education for underserved communities and she has been the National Coordinator for Computers in Homes since 2003. Di began her 
voluntary involvement earlier at Cannons Creek School CIH meetings in 2001, and was research assistant during 2002.
She has presented CIH research findings at Global Knowledge Partnership, Connecting Communities, Third Sector Research and Making Links Conferences in Malaysia, NZ, India and Australia. She has published work in the NZ Annual Review of Education 2007.
Di has experience as Community Education Coordinator for Whitireia Polytechnic, Treaty Coordinator at CIT, and as lecturer for numerous tertiary institutions for fifteen years. Her expertise is in Te Tiriti O Waitangi, Cross-Cultural Studies and Accelerated Learning and she remains committed to promoting equitable educational outcomes for all.
Di originally had a science technical background before being a classroom teacher, and is passionate about the environment. She is a member of the NZ Raptor Association, assisting with field research and serving on the committee.
“The work I do now seems to bring together all the skills, experience and learning from my lifetime. I love my job.”
Laurence Zwimpfer
Contracts Director
Laurence runs a private company specialising in the use of information and communication technologies in education. Since 1997 he has provided consulting and project management services to the Ministry of Education and other government and private sector organisations.
Prior to that he worked in a business development role at Telecom New Zealand, where he supported education institutions and businesses that were
interested in exploring the effective use of ICTs.
Until September 2008 he was a member of the National Commission for UNESCO in New Zealand for 9 years and has represented New Zealand at a number of international forums.He is a Harkness Fellow with degrees in Engineering, Public Policy and Technology.
In 2006, the Institution of Professional Engineers in New Zealand (IPENZ) awarded him the Rabone Award for ICT, a Supreme Technical Award for Engineering Achievers and the William Pickering Award for Engineering Leadership, and in 2007, elected him as a Fellow of the Institution.
Laurence has been a 2020 trustee since 1997 and was chair from 1998 - 2000. He has provided leadership for a number of 2020 programmes including NetDay, eDay, Living Heritage, Computers in Homes and Stepping UP.
The "three aunties" of Computers in Homes: Clare Coman , Dianne Das and Barbara Craig.
Barbara Craig
Victoria University Researcher
Barbara teaches in the School of Policy and Implementation at the College of Education, Victoria University of Wellington. She offers courses on the policy and usage of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in education and community/family settings.
Her current research interests include examining the use of Web 2.0 tools in teaching and learning, evaluating aggregated learning networks (the Wellington Loop that connects city schools and tertiary institutions) and research into family and community responses to new technologies including social networking.
She has long been involved in research projects evaluating community ICT projects and through this work is connected to the international Community Informatics Research Network. Through this network she has been involved in developing evaluation frameworks for measuring social, educational and economic benefits of digital connections.
Barbara has a BA from Canterbury University and an M Ed from Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts where she first became involved in research in educational computing working with early education software developers. She is currently completing a PhD at the Centre for Community Networking Research, Monash University, and Melbourne.
Barbara has been a Trustee since 1998 and part of the team that developed Computers in Homes in 2000 with continuing interest in this project.
Clare Coman
Clare Coman works in the area of research and evaluation of the impacts of ICT projects in communities
and education.
Clare has a BEd. (Hons) Education from Sheffield Polytechnic and was a secondary school technology teacher for ten years teaching in the UK, Saudi Arabia and New Zealand.
In 2000 she became Director of the 2020 Communications Trust where she was responsible for management of a broad base of community and school IT programmes. These programmes included NetDay, eDay, Wellington Community Net and Living Heritage. Clare was responsible for the delivery of the initial pilots and running of Computers In Homes through its early stages and continues to be involved in the research and evaluation of the programme.
Karen Parata
Karen Parata brought a unique mix of experience, knowledge and skills to her role as our first Regional Coordinator for the South Island 2005-06, including over ten years in administration, community research, policy and cultural development projects for whanau/ hapu/iwi.
She had been contracted by Maori health providers, private and government agencies, and presented at Women’s Indigenous Conference in Hawaii. Karen has completed studies in ICT, complementary health and is a talented artist.
Computers In Homes attracts Victoria University students of high calibre to work as part-time office support:
Naiki Pohe - Lomax
Naiki is studying towards a Bachelor of Engineering majoring in Software Engineering.
She has been a part of the 2020 Communications Trust and CIH since February 2010 where she worked part time in the national office, providing admin support to 2020 and its projects.
Naiki is of Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Whātua descent. She grew up in Te Tairāwhiti where she spent the majority of her schooling at Kura Kaupapa Māori.
She is passionate about technology and all of its capabilities, and in the future, hopes to become more involved with its development for the better use to everyone.
Claire and Lucie Watson
Claire and Lucie job-shared the 2020 Office Support Role 2008 - 2009 inclusive.
Claire is Finishing her BA in Education and Psychology at Victoria University. She works part-time at a recruitment company and specialises in producing CVs.
Lucie finished her BSc in Psychology and Criminology at Victoria University at the end of 2009. She is now working as an Account Executive at DraftFCB advertising.
Stephan Gerschewski
Postgraduate Research Excellence Award winner, Humanities Social Sciences, Law, Education, Commerce, Administration, New Zealand School of Music.
Stephan is a PhD student in International Business with particular interests in the internationalization process and international success factors of small and medium-sized enterprises. His interest in this topic stems from the implications of internationalization for a small and geographically isolated country, such as New Zealand.
Internationalisation has become increasingly important for New Zealand’s economic development due to its relatively small domestic market and its strong dependency on trade. Recent initiatives by the New Zealand Government, such as Export Year 2007, underline efforts that are undertaken by the public sector for enhancing the international competitiveness of the country.
Stephan’s research examines the factors that influence the international performance of these small and entrepreneurial firms. Stephan receives this award on the basis of his conference paper, “The determinants of international performance for born global firms: An integrated analysis”, which he presented at the Australia and New Zealand International Business Academy Conference in Brisbane in April 2009.
