What Netsafe does

Netsafe is an independent, non-profit online safety charity headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. Founded in 1998 as the Internet Safety Group and rebranded in 2008, it operates as the country's designated agency under the Harmful Digital Communications Act, delivering a free national helpline that handled 23,213 reports of online harm in the most recent reporting year at an 86.6% satisfaction rate, alongside aggregate reporting of NZD 17.8m in scam losses.

The organisation's product surface spans four pillars. First, the helpline provides human-mediated advice and incident response across scams, harassment, and harmful content. Second, education products include the relaunched Hector's World digital-citizenship curriculum for young children, the Headspace Invaders gamified platform, and vertically tailored programmes such as Hōhepa Digital Citizens for disabled users and Te Ao Māori Digital Safety. Third, AI-driven tooling includes Re:Scam, an autonomous conversational agent that engages scammers on behalf of victims; CheckNetsafe, an anomaly-detection service for evaluating websites and messages; Kora, an informational chatbot; and deepfake-detection and hash-based image/video matching integrations with international networks (Take It Down, StopNCII). Fourth, ecosystem and international work connects Netsafe into the INHOPE hotline network, the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, the Safe Space Alliance, and an MFAT-funded Pacific Islands programme.

Revenue is non-commercial. Netsafe is funded through a mix of government contracts (primarily the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education), international grants (including a NZD ~2.4M / USD 1.5M Google.org award via the Infoxchange Nonprofit Accelerator in 2025), MFAT aid for Pacific services, corporate sponsorships, and donations. Services are delivered free to the public, and the organisation sits at the intersection of public-sector mandates, philanthropy, and technical product development in the online-safety domain.

Name

Netsafe

Legal name

Netsafe

Website

https://netsafe.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Netsafe is an independent, non-profit online safety charity in New Zealand providing a national helpline, digital-citizenship education, AI-driven scam-detection tools, and Ministry of Justice/Ministry of Education–funded programmes to address online harm across schools, families, and Pacific Island communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Safety Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Trust, Safety & Risk Support (Fraud, Abuse, Policy Enforcement) (BPAAABAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Child Safety & Exploitation Prevention Operations (CSAM detection workflows, escalation) (BPAAALAK)

Keywords

• Online safety services
• Digital harm helpline
• Scam prevention tools
• Cyberbullying education
• Online harm reporting

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding and Contracts: Core funding from government agencies including the Ministry of Justice (for Harmful Digital Communications Act services) and Ministry of Education. These contracts support helpline operations, education programs, and research activities.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Public donations to support Netsafe's charitable mission of keeping New Zealanders safe online. The organization is a registered charity.
3. Corporate Sponsorship: Sponsorship from organizations to support specific programs and initiatives such as Hector's World, Netsafe Lab, Youth Action Squad, and community education work.
4. Grant Funding: Grant funding from organizations such as Google.org for technology projects and innovation programs like the Asia-Pacific Digital Transformation Program.
5. Partnership Funding: Funding support from partners including Chorus for Get Set Up for Safety resources and Education and Innovation Partnership Trust for Te Ao Māori Digital Safety programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Netsafe runs a free, confidential online safety helpline and associated support services (phone, online report form, SMS 4282, email, live Kora chatbot) that help New Zealanders report and resolve online harms including scams, cyberbullying, image-based abuse, sextortion, harassment, and child safety concerns. It complements reactive support with AI-driven tools (Re:Scam chatbot, CheckNetsafe scam website checker, hash-based content removal through Take It Down / StopNCII integration) and educational products for children, parents, adults, seniors, schools, and Māori communities.

Product overview

Netsafe operates as a unified public service organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of online safety products, tools, and educational resources rather than a traditional software product platform. The core offering centers on the Netsafe Helpline—providing free, confidential support for online harm—augmented by AI-powered tools including Re:Scam (scammer engagement chatbot), CheckNetsafe (website legitimacy checker), and content hashing services (Take It Down, StopNCII). Educational products include Digital Guardian Guide (parent resource), Headspace Invaders (youth gamified learning), Hector's World (animated series for children), Kete (school resource hub), and Te Ao Māori Digital Safety Microlearn Programme. Netsafe Lab drives innovation in scam detection and prevention tools. These offerings work together as an integrated ecosystem addressing the full spectrum of online safety—from reactive helpline support and scam prevention tools to proactive education across all age groups and communities in New Zealand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Re:Scam: AI-powered tool designed to waste scammers' time so they cannot target victims
• Netsafe Lab
• Hector's World
• Headspace Invaders
• Digital Guardian Guide
• Kete
• Netsafety Week
• Youth Action Squad

Products and services

• Netsafe Helpline Free, confidential online safety helpline providing advice, support, and education to New Zealanders experiencing online harm, scams, or abuse. Staffed by trained advisors Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and reachable via phone (0508 638 723), online reporting portal, SMS (text 'Netsafe' to 4282), email, and live chat.
• Re:Scam AI-powered chatbot that engages email scammers in prolonged, futile conversations to waste their time and prevent them from targeting real victims. Uses advanced generative AI to produce contextually appropriate responses.
• CheckNetsafe Free online tool that lets users enter a website address to assess whether it is likely legitimate or a scam, helping individuals detect fraudulent sites.
• Digital Guardian Guide Online resource hub for parents and caregivers containing Kōrero Cards conversation prompts, conversation planners, Digital Firsts milestone guides, and tools to support children's online safety.
• Headspace Invaders Gamified learning platform for young people to explore real examples of misinformation, disinformation, identity-based harm, and online extremism through interactive activities and reflection exercises.
• Netsafe Kete Self-service resource hub for New Zealand schools providing interactive digital classroom resources and collateral to support online safety education across the whole school community.
• Hector's World Animated online safety education series for primary-aged children (5-10 years old) featuring Hector the dolphin, with accompanying videos and parent conversation guides teaching online safety basics.
• Netsafe Lab Data and innovation arm of Netsafe focused on building and procuring practical tools in the fight against online harm, including scam filtering applications and fake-website detectors.
• Youth Action Squad (YAS) Programme equipping high-school-aged young people with knowledge and skills to spark discussion, plan initiatives, and lead activities around online safety issues affecting their communities.
• Te Ao Māori Digital Safety Microlearn Programme Six-episode digital safety programme in te reo Māori co-designed from a Te Ao Māori worldview with Tātai Aho Rau (Core Education), covering digital citizenship, rights and media literacy.
• Hōhepa Digital Citizens Digital safety skills framework featuring online quizzes and Easy Read resources, designed for people with learning disabilities and those who support them.

Quantifiable outcome

• 23,213 reports of online harm received to helpline last year
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles8 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, supporting and significant.

• Ministry of Justice Tāhū o te TurecoreOthersGovernment partner for the Harmful Digital Communications Act (HDCA). Netsafe operates the national helpline and investigates complaints about harm caused by digital communications under this legislation.
• Ministry of EducationcoreOthersGovernment partner for curriculum refreshes and online safety resources for schools. Ministry acknowledged Netsafe partnership to address concerns about harmful content influencing young people through curriculum support.
• InhopemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network of hotlines fighting child sexual abuse material online. Netsafe participates in this global ecosystem to combat online child exploitation.
• Global Anti Scam Alliance (GASA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational alliance addressing scams globally. Netsafe contributes to State of Scams reports and collaborates on scam prevention efforts worldwide.
• Safe Space AlliancesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance focused on creating safer online spaces. Netsafe collaborates on initiatives to improve online safety and support victims of online harm.
• Network for LearningsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide tools, training, and resources to help educators address harmful content influencing young people in schools.
• Bullying-Free NZsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to address bullying in schools. Ministry of Education pointed to this partnership alongside Netsafe and Network for Learning to address educator concerns.
• MicrosoftsignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetsafe supported Microsoft to create the Xbox Gaming Safety Toolkit, empowering caregivers to support kids and teens to game safely.
• Tātai Aho Rau (Core Education)significantStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-designed the Te Ao Māori Digital Safety Microlearn Programme with six episodes in te reo Māori from a Te Ao worldview perspective.
• Spectrum CaresupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated plain language online safety guides and resources for people with an intellectual disability, and those who support them.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC): US non-profit operating the CyberTipline for child exploitation reporting and education programs. Highly comparable on the child-safety dimension, with operational overlap via Netsafe's Inhope membership and hash-based content removal workflows (Take It Down/StopNCII).
• Common Sense Media: US non-profit providing media ratings, reviews, and digital citizenship education for children and families. Comparable in mission (kids' online safety education), nonprofit funding model, and education-focused product suite, though US-based and broader in scope including entertainment media.
• iKeepSafe: US non-profit providing digital citizenship and online safety education, privacy and security certification programs for schools. Comparable nonprofit education-and-certification model with overlapping school and parent audiences.
• ConnectSafely: US non-profit focused on digital citizenship, online safety education, and policy. Comparable nonprofit education-and-policy model serving parents, educators, and youth, with similar resource-hub and Safer Internet Day-style campaign approach.
• Internet Matters: UK not-for-profit providing online safety advice, helpline resources, and education for children and parents. Closely comparable mission and target audiences (children, young people, parents/caregivers), with similar free resource-hub and content-led engagement model.
• Childnet International: UK children's online safety charity delivering education, youth-led programs, and policy work. Directly comparable focus on youth online safety, education resources, and international policy advocacy; co-founder of the UK Safer Internet Centre.
• eSafety Commissioner (Australia): Australia's statutory online safety regulator operating a complaints scheme, education programs, and national helpline. Highly comparable to Netsafe as a national government-mandated online safety body in a neighboring jurisdiction, with overlapping scope (cyberbullying, image-based abuse, adult cyber abuse).
• UK Safer Internet Centre: UK consortium of charities (Childnet, Internet Watch Foundation, SWGfL) delivering the national helpline, Safer Internet Day coordination, and online safety education. Directly comparable to Netsafe's combined helpline, education, and Safer Internet Day national convener role.
• Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI): International non-profit convening industry, government, and educators on online safety policy and best practices. Comparable in mission, international policy engagement, and cross-sector convening role, with a heavier industry-policy focus.

Regional players

• Be Connected (eSafety Australia initiative): Australian government-funded digital skills program for older adults. Directly comparable to Netsafe's 'Get Set Up for Safety' older-adult program in mission, target audience, and free educational resource model, though framed within Australia's wider eSafety ecosystem rather than operating independently.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/netsafenz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/NetsafeNewZealand
• Facebookfacebook.com/netsafeNZ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/netsafe-new-zealand
• Instagraminstagram.com/netsafenz
• TikToktiktok.com/@netsafenz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Netsafe