New Zealand adopts International Open Data Charter

Joins 17 countries, including Australia and the UK, in confirming its commitment to the practice of openness in government.

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As well as meeting increased user demand for open data to drive innovation, this will ensure we are accountable, transparent, and resilient in our use of data.

Statistics Minister Scott Simpson

Statistics Minister Scott Simpson reports that New Zealand has signed up to the International Open Data Charter, in a move to help drive innovation, support public accountability, and encourage engagement with government.

“The Government holds a vast amount of valuable data on behalf of New Zealanders," says Simpson. "Open government data is non-personal, unclassified and non-confidential, and is freely available to anyone to use and share. Personal, confidential, and classified data remain protected.”

“New Zealand has joined 17 countries, including Australia and the United Kingdom, in confirming its commitment to the practice of openness in government," says Simpson, in a statement.

"As well as meeting increased user demand for open data to drive innovation, this will ensure we are accountable, transparent, and resilient in our use of data.”

The International Open Data Charter is a non-binding agreement with six principles and supporting actions, mandating that data should be:

Always open unless there is a good reason not to be (‘open by default’)
Timely and comprehensive
Accessible and useable
Comparable and use standardised formats
For improved governance and citizen engagement
For inclusive development and innovation.

“Supporting the Government priority for data, a key objective of signing up to the Charter is to ensure Government-held data is used to help achieve better outcomes for New Zealanders, through data-driven innovation, informed decision-making and evidence-based policy.”