New Zealand is a major contributor to COL’s budget and is represented on COL’s Board of Governors. Through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (MFAT), it provides support and expertise to COL’s initiatives promoting learning for sustainable development in the Pacific and other regions of the Commonwealth. Experts from New Zealand have offered technical advice on ODL, OER and curriculum design to institutions in Commonwealth Member Countries.
The Partnership for Open Distance and Flexible Learning (ODFL) in the Pacific is a 5-year project (2020–2025) funded by MFAT to support enhancing capacity and efficiency of education sectors in the Pacific through greater use of innovative delivery mechanisms and technology. COL, together with the Pacific Centre for Flexible and Open Learning for Development (PACFOLD), is implementing the project in the nine Commonwealth countries in the Pacific (Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu). https://pacificpartnership.col.org/
Other relevant development priorities for New Zealand that COL is contributing to are advancing climate action (through policy, capacity, resources and research) and building resilience in Small States of the Commonwealth.
