Digital content

Web 2.0’s user-generated content gives whole populations a chance at published creativity, as anyone with an internet connection or access to a digital hub can self-publish or remix content. Accessible, diverse content enables research and knowledge innovations and spurs the creation of new devices and applications, driving growth and employment. Among the plethora of user-generated content, we also need to be aware of the value of and potential for reuse of verifiable, reliable information such as that created or held by public entities.

New Zealand content is important. Our home-grown cultural, scientific and public sector content reflects our knowledge, interests and perspectives as a country, while offering something unique for international audiences. This content is valuable: entrepreneurs can turn data and research into commercial opportunities, creatives can draw on our heritage for inspiration, while local communities and policy-makers can use geospatial information to improve town planning.

However, much of this content is hard to find – it is not digital, or it is not easily accessible via standard search engines, or the entities that hold it have not made it easily available. All public entities need to consider how to make it easy for others to find and use their information. This will mean digitising important New Zealand content, creating standards, building archival and search tools so users can find and use the material and opening up access to content that has been generated or funded by public entities.

There are special issues in dealing with mätauranga Mäori – the body of Mäori traditional knowledge. These include control of the use of and access to certain kinds of knowledge once it has been digitised and ensuring that knowledge is treated appropriately when it is shared and moved outside its cultural context.

Digital Strategy 2.0 draws on New Zealand’s internationally recognised Digital Content Strategy, and builds on the challenges and actions presented in that document.