Indigenizing Openness: Open Educational Resources in Aotearoa for Equity and Inclusion

This paper examines how university libraries in Aotearoa New Zealand support the indigenization of collections through open educational resources (OER). It explores whether Māori perspectives are reflected in OER creation and curation. Using qualitative content analysis of resources from university websites, the study reviewed OER policies and documentation, focusing on libraries’ roles in these initiatives. Findings show universities offer various supports for academics to create and use OER, and libraries provide guidance—primarily through online guides—with staff identified as key experts. While OER were valued for improving accessibility and engaging diverse audiences, explicit references to increasing Indigenous content were minimal. Institutional engagement with OER was uneven, and principles such as Māori Data Sovereignty received little attention. Further qualitative research is recommended to capture stakeholder perspectives on OER’s potential to advance indigenization in library collections.