Open Access Australasia and Open Access Week.
Open Access Australasia plays a leading role in coordinating and amplifying Open Access Week activities across Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific region. Each year, the organization:
Facilitates Regional Campaigns: Organizes and promotes a range of events, webinars, and discussions that spotlight open access initiatives, policy developments, and success stories from universities, libraries, researchers, and communities.
Develops and Shares Resources: Produces promotional materials and graphics to support institutions and individuals in hosting their own Open Access Week events, and curates and promotes the annual list of OA Week events across the region .
Connects Local and Global Efforts: Acts as a central hub, connecting Australasian participants with the broader international open access movement and sharing regional perspectives with the global community.
Showcases Regional Voices: Highlights achievements, challenges, and priorities unique to Australasia by centering regional topics and Indigenous leadership, ensuring Aboriginal and Māori voices are not only given space but are integral to shaping events.
Drives Advocacy and Change: Uses the momentum of Open Access Week to advance and encourage the adoption of open research and scholarship practices within research and education sectors in our region.
As an active member of the International OA Week Planning Committee each year, Open Access Australasia ensures that our regional engagement shapes and energizes the global movement for open, equitable access to knowledge.
OA Week 2025
A total of 802 people from 103 institutions attended the 3 events that were held in 2025. A number of institutions had more than 22 staff members attending and one had 69! A follow up survey indicated that the topics of the webinars were seen as relevant and useful and the 90 minutes time slot was seen as appropriate. Feedback indicated that more time for questions and discussion would be appreciated in 2026.
Thanks to our 2025 Planning Committee: Em Bulger (La Trobe) Donna Coventry (AUT) Richard White (Otago) Cheri Joy (USC) Lyndall Holstein (CSU) Koichi Inoue (VUW) Elizabeth Lawrence (La Trobe) Tracy Creagh (QUT) Zachary Kendal (UMelb).
“Looking back, being part of the organising team for Open Access Week 2025 was extremely rewarding. It offered a chance to help shape a program that sparked meaningful conversations and to collaborate with inspiring colleagues from across universities (Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand) —an experience that truly highlighted the value of a shared commitment to open knowledge.”
Tracy Creagh, QUT.
“I really enjoyed being part of the 2025 OA Week committee, in fact this is the third time I’ve joined the committee. I got to work on a session close to my heart and with two amazing people from two different countries! I also got to meet some of my open access heroes behind the scenes while organising the invited guests!”
Donna Coventry, AUT.
” I have done several OA week events and it’s always a pleasure to work with bright, enthusiastic people with a passion for openness, equity and knowledge. This year’s theme is such an important issue – we need to keep talking about it. The phrase I keep coming back to was when one of our panelists said: “Knowledge is about relationships.””
Richard White, Otago.
“I always look forward to joining the Open Access Week organising committee. Three years in, and every year has given me something different to get excited about. It’s been a brilliant way to meet new people, broaden my network, and grow my leadership skills, all while contributing to impactful, high-quality events.”
Lyndall Holstein, CSU.
“Open Access Week is always on my calendar, and I learn something new every year. Serving on the organising committee this year deepened my appreciation for the planning involved, and collaborating with colleagues across Aotearoa and Australia was the highlight of my year.”
Koichi Inoue, VUW.
“As a total newbie, I found the Open Access Week committee members to be welcoming and supportive. I learned a great deal and I’m eager to join the committee again next year, knowing that I’ll be able to make a greater contribution.”
Cheri Joy, USC.
Recordings are available on our Open Access Week page.
Four years of OA Week: Takeaways from 2022-2025
The first OA Week events organised by Open Access Australasia were in 2021, but registration data was not systematically collected. All subsequent events had registration data that could be compiled across this period. As well as being able to assess the institutions that attended the most consistently across the years, we were also able to analyse the types of institutions participating and the overall trends in engagement.
Overall participation showed natural variability linked to changes in the number of events (8 in 2022!), starting with a peak in 2022 followed by a smaller cohort in 2024, and an increase again in 2025. An analysis of domains in the emails of registrants indicated Australian government organisations remained a consistently engaged group throughout the period, though participation from outside the university sector in Aotearoa New Zealand has been low in recent years. The strongest representation was from the education sector as would be expected. International participation dipped after 2022 but since 2023, at members’ behest, OAA has prioritised a strong regional focus which may explain the relative decline in international participation.
Patterns of university engagement
The following graphic shows one institution with notably higher attendance, but the overall pattern reflects a broad distribution of participation across many universities. Most institutions fall within a moderate range, with a smaller group contributing consistently strong numbers and many others providing steady engagement. This indicates widespread involvement in OA Week activities across the sector
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A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has contributed to OA Week since 2021—our colleagues, collaborators, speakers, and organisers across institutions and communities. Your sustained energy, ideas, and generosity have shaped a rich and evolving program over the years. And to all who have attended, engaged in discussions, and shared your perspectives, thank you for helping build and strengthen our open scholarship community. Your ongoing participation continues to make this work possible. strengthen our open scholarship community. Your ongoing participation continues to make this work possible.