Bringing the manu | birds together: The Open Access Critical Friends Rōpū as a model for nationwide connection & collaboration

Globally, openly accessible research is growing exponentially. However, Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ) still has one of the lowest national open access rates, sitting at approximately 40% open. In 2023, Te Pōkai Tara (Universities New Zealand) released a statement committing to drive and support open access across the University sector. The goal, to raise the national percentage of open research to 70% by 2025. To support this initiative, the Council of Aotearoa New Zealand University Librarians (CONZUL) sponsored a project to produce a resource to guide New Zealand’s researchers through the open access publishing process. To ensure nationwide relevance, ten librarians from AoNZ’s eight universities formed the Open Access Critical Friends Rōpu. Together they produced the Open Access Toolkit for Aotearoa New Zealand Researchers. During this presentation, project team members will share their journey and learnings including strategies that libraries can use to connect and collaborate on large-scale projects. Whilst the toolkit was the major output of the project, success hinged on the whanaungatanga (relationships) and manaakitanga (respect) established amongst the rōpū (group) over the course of the ten-month project. This created an environment where members felt safe sharing knowledge and resources. Goals were set together and honesty encouraged. Inclusion was paramount and included using online tools that were accessible to all. Each member’s workload capacity and preferred roles were taken into consideration. The project concluded with individual and group reflection on project successes and lessons learned.