About the New Zealand Open Source Society (NZOSS)

A stylised view of Lake Pukaki

The New Zealand Open Source Society (NZOSS) is an incorporated society set up to educate, advocate and advance the use of free and open source software (FOSS) in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The society is membership-based organisation that is registered as a charitable entity under the Charities Act 2005. Our registration number is CC42367 and our registration documentation is available online.

Aims

We have a formal constitution that describes the purposes that we exist to support. The relevant section is provided below:

  • To advance education by creating opportunities for New Zealanders to learn about, use, and collaborate on Free and Open Source Software and openly licensed hardware, data, learning materials, and standards (among others) with the purpose of developing individual and community technological self-reliance, sovereignty, and empowerment.
  • To benefit the community by leading and/or supporting community initiatives that enhance openness and offer educational opportunities for individuals and communities within NZ.
  • To benefit the community by acting as a guardian of the word "open" in the context of technology and content, clarifying situations where the word is misused, e.g. by commercial interests for marketing purposes.
  • To benefit the community and advance education by enriching the Commons (digital and social) through sharing Free and Open Source software, hardware, frameworks, standards, practices, and principles.
  • To alleviate poverty by providing communities and individuals with access to and opportunities to learn about Free and Open Source tools - software, hardware, frameworks, practices, and principles.
  • To benefit the community and advance education by informing the government about the implications of policy and bureaucratic decisions related to our "open" areas of interest.

Governance

The society is governed by an elected council that meets monthly. Please email secretary@nzoss.nz to contact council members.

  • Jo Allum (Tauranga)
  • Carl Klitscher (Wellington) - Secretary/Treasurer
  • Steven Ellis (Auckland)
  • Danny Adair (Wellington)