An Exploratory Study of Collaboration in New Zealand Tertiary Libraries‪.‬

In New Zealand during the 1980s and into the 1990s, the public sector, including tertiary institutions and their associated libraries, was faced with decreased funding and government policies based on competitive business principles. Consequently, there were no major new collaborative initiatives other than the computerisation of the Te Puna interloan scheme. A change to a Labour government in 1999 signalled a shift from market driven policy towards a more collaborative approach to support New Zealand in becoming a knowledge society. A knowledge society should allow information to flow smoothly to fulfil New Zealand's national goals of economic and social transformation. The Labour government's Tertiary Education Strategy, 2002-2007, focused on providing a blueprint for a collaborative tertiary system that contributed to these national goals by providing research, information access, and relevant skills for a changing society. To achieve these goals the tertiary sector has been encouraged to shift from isolation to connectedness with others.