Open data policies

Declaration on Open and Transparent Government

The Declaration on Open and Transparent Government was made by Cabinet in 2011. It sets out a government-wide approach to increasing the openness and transparency of the New Zealand government, by actively releasing high-value public data it collects and holds on behalf of taxpayers.

New Zealand Data and Information Management Principles

The New Zealand Data and Information Management Principles (NZDIMP) are a set of seven principles under which the New Zealand government releases its open data.

The principles state that data should be:

• open
• protected
• readily available
• trusted and authoritative
• well-managed
• reasonably priced (preferably free)
• reusable.

Unless there are identifiable reasons for its release, personal and classified data remains protected. Government data and information should also be trusted and authoritative.

International Open Data Charter

New Zealand signed up to the International Open Data Charter in 2017. The charter supports and builds on the New Zealand Declaration on Open and Transparent Government and the supporting Data and Information Management Principles.

The charter has six principles and supporting actions. Data should be:

• open by default
• timely and comprehensive
• accessible and usable
• comparable and interoperable
• for improved governance and citizen engagement
• for inclusive development and innovation.

Applying these principles and actions will:

• reinforce New Zealand’s continued commitment to open data
• ensure New Zealand remains internationally aligned
• provide government agencies with clearer principles and supporting actions for accelerating the release of open government data.

Principles — International Open Data Charter 

Adoption of the International Open Data Charter