DigitalNZ

Copyright terms and the public domain guide — Why 1 January matters

08 Jan 2026

We've updated our ‘Copyright terms and the Public Domain in New Zealand guide’ for 2026.

Updated Copyright terms and the Public Domain in New Zealand guide

Copyright protection in New Zealand isn’t indefinite — it has a time limit that depends on the type of work and when it was created, published, performed, or, in the case of product designs, commercialised.

Each category of copyright work — such as books, music, films, or artistic designs — has its own duration of protection. This period is calculated from a specific point in the life of the work or its creator.

That’s why 1 January is important: copyright terms typically expire at the end of a calendar year. That means on 1 January, many works enter the public domain, becoming free for anyone to share and use. It’s the day when creativity gets a fresh wave of resources, opening up opportunities for innovation and cultural enrichment.

DigitalNZ developed this guide as a tool to help users work out the copyright status of collection items.

View the Copyright terms and the Public Domain in New Zealand for 2026.

Disclaimer: The contents of the guide do not constitute legal advice and DigitalNZ is not responsible for any loss or damage caused as a result of following it. For simplicity this guide may contain generalisations and you should seek advice from a suitably qualified professional about specific issues.

New content partners — December 2025

11 Dec 2025

Nau mai, haere mai to our newest content partners Heritage Central Otago, Dunedin Gasworks Museum, and Deaf Aotearoa.

New content partners and collections — October 2025

03 Oct 2025

Nau mai, haere mai to our newest content partners Waiheke Musical Museum and the Royal New Zealand Ballet! We’re also thrilled to bring Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū’s Multimedia collection into DigitalNZ.

New content partners — June 2025

19 Jun 2025

Nau mai, haere mai to three new content partners — Otautau Museum, Kauri Museum, and Wellington Museum. Together they add more than 10,000 new items to DigitalNZ — items that help to tell the stories and histories of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Image: Otautau women's hockey team, 1911. No known copyright. Item from Otautau Museum.

Image: Wahine lifejacket. CC BY-NC 4.0. Item from Wellington Museum.

New content partners and collections — March 2025

11 Mar 2025

A new collection for fans of New Zealand’s art history

We’ve added a new collection to DigitalNZ — the Robert and Barbara Stewart Library and Archives from Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū.

The collection of more than 1300 items includes rare books, journals, newsletters, exhibition catalogues, and artist papers — including an inventory of an archive of The Group, an influential art association formed in Christchurch in 1927.

2024 ... the numbers

13 Dec 2024

As the year ends, we’re taking a look at what visitors are searching for, plus our most visited records and stories.

Top 10 search terms on DigitalNZ

dawn raids
wellington
springbok tour
parihaka
Papers past
auckland
maori
dunedin
treaty of waitangi
Featherston Camp

Top 5 records

New content partners and collections — December 2024

13 Dec 2024

We have recently added three new content partners to DigitalNZ - Warkworth Museum, Auckland Fire Brigades Museum and Historical Society, and Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities.

We’ve also added two new collections to DigitalNZ — the University of Canterbury Heritage Collection and the University of Otago Open Journal Systems, which includes the journals Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, Focus on Health Professional Education, Media Peripheries, New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy, Otago German Studies, and Relegere: Studies in Religion and Reception.

Warkworth Museum

Auckland Fire Brigades Museum and Historical Society

Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities

University of Canterbury Heritage Collection

Image: Acoustic coupler modem and dial-up phone, c.1978. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Photo from University of Canterbury Heritage Collection.

University of Otago Open Journal Systems

Image: ‘Today’s physios have an awesome responsibility!’ in New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy, Vol. 40 No. 3, 1 November 2012. All rights reserved. Article from University of Otago Open Journal Systems.

New content partners and collections — October 2024

08 Oct 2024

We'd like to welcome new content partners — Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, Pantograph Punch, and The Sapling. We also have two new collections — Pakiaka Rotorua Heritage Online from Rotorua Library - Te Aka Mauri, and Te Rangi Aoao Nunui from Puke Ariki.

It's wonderful to point to your collections from digitalnz.org.

New content partners and collections

Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū

The Sapling

Pantograph Punch

Pakiaka Rotorua Heritage Online from Rotorua Library - Te Aka Mauri

Image: Rotorua Primary School sports day at Government Gardens, 1940, No known copyright. Photo from Rotorua Library - Te Aka Mauri.

Te Rangi Aoao Nunui from Puke Ariki

Image: 'Fun Ho! Toys: Go On For Ever', 14 May 2003, Copyright unknown. Article from Puke Ariki.

Updates to our copyright pages on DigitalNZ

08 Oct 2024

We are excited to announce important updates to our copyright pages DigitalNZ.org for both website visitors and for content partners.

Reusing items on DigitalNZ

For our visitors, the Reusing Items on DigitalNZ and Copyright page has been updated to clarify what you can and cannot do with the content you find through our website. This ensures that everyone can enjoy and share digital content responsibly and legally.

Make it Digital: Use and reuse

Our Make it Digital: Enabling Use and Reuse page has been refreshed to provide enhanced guidance for museums, libraries, archives, and other organisations across Aotearoa New Zealand. These updates aim to help you effectively manage the copyright of your digitised collections, ensuring that your valuable resources are protected and accessible.

We encourage you to explore these updated pages and take advantage of the comprehensive resources and guidelines they offer. Your feedback is always welcome as we strive to improve our services. Email us at info@digitalnz.org.

Image: Microfiliming newspapers, circa 1965, CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. Photo from Wellington City Libraries.

New ways of exploring DigitalNZ

23 Feb 2024

Telescope, binoculars, or the naked eye? We all have our own preferences when it comes to seeing the world. Acknowledging the many ways to explore DigitalNZ, we've revamped the Explore page.

A redesigned Explore page

You can still use keywords to search DigitalNZ, and we've added links to popular searches and highlighted our newest partner organisations.

A new feature is a slider to explore by date range. Or scroll down to read a featured DigitalNZ story from one of our users.

View the Explore page

Image: Two men and a woman on a hillside. Item from Wairarapa Archive.

We regularly update the featured record highlighting interesting items from your collections. Users can also filter records by format and usage rights.

A screenshot of part of the Explore page.

We also highlight the most viewed records and collections in the last week. And finally, at the end of the Explore page, you can discover a random record. 🪄

As usual all feedback is welcome. Email us at info@digitalnz.org. Happy exploring!