Creative Commons NZ

At the heart of the global Open Knowledge movement lies the belief that information, education, and data should be freely accessible to all. This belief fosters innovation, collaboration, and transparency, enabling individuals and organizations to unlock the potential of knowledge for collective benefit. In New Zealand and across the world, Creative Commons is leading the charge to make educational resources, public data, and government information open and accessible under flexible, legally sound licences.

Open Education: Empowering Learners and Educators

Open Education is a transformative movement which breaks down barriers to education, making resources more accessible and affordable. This includes textbooks, lectures, and other learning materials that can be accessed, shared, and adapted under open licences, such as Creative Commons.

The rise of Open Educational Resources (OER) is reshaping how educators and learners interact with knowledge. In New Zealand, from primary schools to universities, institutions are releasing their educational resources under open licences, ensuring that valuable content can be reused and built upon by others. This not only benefits students who gain access to high-quality learning materials without the burden of expensive textbooks but also empowers educators to avoid reinventing the wheel. Educators can focus on refining and adapting the best content to suit their teaching needs.

The open access movement in education also addresses the financial barriers many students face. In the United States, for example, the cost of textbooks increased by 812% between 1978 and 2012, more than three times the rate of inflation. In response, many governments, including New Zealand's, now require taxpayer-funded educational resources to be licensed under Creative Commons. This ensures that learners around the world can access and use textbooks and materials freely, reducing financial pressures and fostering a more equitable learning environment.

New Zealand: A Global Leader in Open Education

New Zealand has emerged as a global leader in the Open Education movement. The country is home to numerous institutions that actively contribute to the sharing of educational resources. New Zealand educators are releasing high-quality resources that are accessible and reusable by anyone, not just within the country but globally.

Tertiary institutions such as Lincoln University and Otago Polytechnic are pioneering this approach, and the Open Educational Resources Universitas (OERu), an independent network of universities, offers free online courses to learners worldwide. Over 40 New Zealand schools have also adopted Creative Commons policies, fostering an environment where educational resources are shared openly, and collaboration thrives.

One notable example of New Zealand’s leadership is the development of the Creative Commons-licensed Media Studies textbook by a team at Otago University. This open textbook serves as a model for collaborative educational publishing and sets a standard for open education globally.

Open Data: The Power of Information

Open data refers to information that is freely available and reusable by anyone, without technical, legal, or cost-related barriers. This data can be viewed, modified, and combined with other datasets to create new insights and innovative solutions.

Open data has the potential to drive significant advancements in a wide range of fields, from business and technology to social services and government transparency. By making data accessible, individuals and organizations can save time and resources that would otherwise be spent accessing or reproducing information. The ability to freely access and share data encourages the development of new products and services, promotes accountability, and enhances public trust.

Creative Commons supports the open data movement by offering a suite of flexible legal tools that enable data owners to share their datasets. These tools include Creative Commons licences, which make it easier for individuals and organizations to release their data under open terms, and public domain tools that allow works to be dedicated to the public domain or made copyright-free.

The Role of Creative Commons in Open Knowledge

Creative Commons is at the forefront of the global Open Knowledge movement, providing the legal tools that make it easier for individuals, educators, organizations, and governments to share their work openly and responsibly. Creative Commons licences offer a simple and standardized way for creators to grant permission for others to use, modify, and share their work. These licences are designed to be flexible and adaptable to a wide range of needs, from educational resources to research data to government information.

In addition to Creative Commons licences, the organization provides public domain tools that allow works to be dedicated to the public domain, ensuring that these works can be freely used by anyone for any purpose.

Creative Commons is empowers individuals and organizations to collaborate, innovate, and create new solutions to global challenges. Whether in education, research, or government, the Open Knowledge movement is transforming how we access, share, and use information to create a more inclusive, equitable, and transparent world.

Supporting Innovation through Collaboration: Our Business Partnerships

At the core of the Open Knowledge movement is the belief that collaboration fosters innovation, and businesses play a crucial role in this process. Businesses contribute not only to their own success but also to the greater good of society. Creative Commons helps facilitate this collaboration by providing a legal framework that allows businesses to share, adapt, and build upon ideas in a way that benefits everyone.

Through partnerships with forward-thinking businesses, we are able to further amplify the impact of the Open Knowledge movement. These businesses understand the value of open licensing, whether it's sharing educational resources, making data freely available, or adopting open-source software.