page_title: New Zealand Open Source Society
section_title: Formation
hierarchical_section_title: New Zealand Open Source Society / History / Formation
caption_attribution_description: New Zealand Open Source Awards ceremony in Wellington on November 9, 2010
context_page_description: The New Zealand Open Source Society is an incorporated society supporting the advocacy and promotion of open-source software in New Zealand.
context_section_description: NZOSS was formed in February 2003, after David Lane wrote an open letter suggesting the use of open source software in Government in 2002, co-signed by over four hundred New Zealanders.
  Peter Harrison then suggested that a national organisation be formed to promote and advocate use of open-source software, via the New Zealand Linux Users Group. This led to several meetings throughout New Zealand in 2002 and 2003, and finally resulted in the NZOSS being formed as a formal incorporated society on 27 February 2003. Since this time the NZOSS has been involved with various efforts to promote open source in government, including participation with the Ministry of Economic Development's Authentication Project, and later a report on the State Services Commission guidelines on the legal issues of open-source software.
caption: Don Christie, former President of the Society, in 2009
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