About Us.

Established in 2009, The Collaborative’s purpose is to help industry, government, and academia to ‘join-up’ and unlock the value of data for the economy, society, and the environment.

The Collaborative operates as an ‘Impact Enterprise’ where we trade in designing and delivering innovative toolkits and services to support collaborative innovation and address market failures, thus creating positive impact that aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Core to this mission The Collaborative seeks to improve the knowledge and practices of date collaboration, governance and stewardship by:

• promoting the theory, principles, and practices of federated date governance, data stewardship, data collaboration and the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across public and private sectors.
• promoting the development, application and improvement in the quality and effectiveness of data governance practice by boards and senior leadership teams across the Asia Pacific, while linking to other global communities-of-practice and data governance bodies-of-knowledge.
• expanding communication about the management of data and associated practices between organizations and individuals involved in the sharing of data and the responsible use of AI, both within the Asia Pacific and in the international data stewardship community.

In these efforts, 100% of surplus funds are applied back to our purpose, and we partner with a number of communities-of-practice and public/private sector stakeholders around the world to help scale our impact.

The Data Value Toolkit

We are home to the Data Value Toolkit and its global network of practitioners who are passionate about solving complex organizational challenges...with data:

• The Data Value Toolkit: A set of principles, models, disciplines, guidelines, and proven practices to discover, unlock, and realize the Value of Data, and is continuously updated and refined via an international benchmarking, content curation and collaborative research efforts.
• Toolkit Content Modules: As a curated and structured unit of educational material, designed to provide targeted knowledge and actionable insights for practitioners on the use of the toolkit.
• Partners: Each Content Module is moderated by a relevant Subject Matter Expert partner, either an individual, industry body or organization, and serves as a dynamic resource that blends theoretical understanding with practical applications.
• Community-of-Practice: A global community that fosters collaborative learning and knowledge exchange among toolkit practitioners, SMEs and researchers.
• Data Value Platform: The Data Value Platform serves as a collaborative hub where practitioners, SMEs and researchers come together to share knowledge, case studies, experiences, and best practices related to leveraging the toolkit to deliver value for economy, society, and the environment.

Collaborative Data Sharing

Core to our overarching mission of help industry, government, and academia to ‘join-up’ and unlock the value of data, we seek to improve the knowledge and practices of date governance and data stewardship by:

• promoting the theory, principles, and practices of date governance, data stewardship, data collaboration and the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across public and private sectors.
• promoting the development, application and improvement in the quality and effectiveness of data governance practice by boards and senior leadership teams across the Asia Pacific, while linking to other global communities-of-practice and data governance bodies-of-knowledge.
• expanding communication about the management of data and associated practices between organizations and individuals involved in the sharing of data and the responsible use of AI, both within the Asia Pacific and in the international data stewardship community.

An Impact Enterprise (not-for-profit)

In these above efforts 100% of surplus funds are applied back to the purpose, where The Collaborative partners with several public and private sector stakeholders to scale its impact.

What makes us Unique?

1. We are a Collaborative Innovation Network!
We're a thriving ecosystem of collaborative innovation and problem-solving expertise. The Collaborative is designed to encourage cross-industry data collaborations, fostering an environment where creativity meets functionality. Together, we build, refine, and deploy novel solutions to real-world problems. Find out more about Collaborative Innovation Networks.

2. Applied Research Excellence:
We all value critical thinking and highly applied research that translates into actionable insights, workable toolkits and tangible results. Our diverse team of practitioners from around the world, engages in multidisciplinary research with clients to ensure that the theoretical meets the practical, and innovations are ready for real-world application.

3. Problem-Solving Culture:
Challenges fuel us. We are passionate about dissecting complex problems and finding unique solutions. By leveraging the collective intelligence of our global network, we bring fresh perspectives and unparalleled expertise to tackle the most pressing challenges in both the private and public sectors.

4. Continuous Learning & Growth:
We believe that growth and learning are continuous journeys. Our network offers workshops, webinars, and opportunities to work on live projects. Join us and be part of a community that encourages constant development and innovation.

5. Supporting Sustainability:
We actively support the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by engaging in problem-solving that transcends traditional boundaries, where the network contributes to economic growth, healthcare improvement, sustainable energy solutions, and more.

6. Global Reach with Local Impact:
Our network spans private/public sectors, industries and countries, but our focus remains on creating localized solutions that have a global impact. We believe in scalable innovation that resonates with diverse markets and communities.

Our History:
The Collaborative was originally established as an incorporated society called The Future Cities Institute on the 3rd day of July 2009 under the New Zealand Incorporated Societies Act 1908.

To better serve our mission to support collaborative innovation networking and projects, we changed our name in early 2018 to The Collaborative and moved from an incorporated society model to a non-profit limited liability company under New Zealand Company Law.

At the New Zealand Companies office, we have special provisions in our constitution that makes it clear that profit maximization is to be balanced by Impact and Mission objectives and prohibits any of the capital or income being paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend for the private pecuniary profit of any individual member or third-party.