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Information for Publishers

The following information is intended for publishers, and provides details on the principles underlying Aotearoa Genomic Data Repository (AGDR) operations. AGDR provides support for FAIR and CARE data, while also ensuring responsible data sharing by enabling kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of genomic data derived from taonga (treasured) species, in line with international Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles.

The Aotearoa Genomic Data Repository provides a secure, locally governed infrastructure that ensures genomic data remains within national jurisdiction and is managed according to frameworks that align with Māori data sovereignty principles (www.temanararaunga.maori.nz, www.kahuiraraunga.io). This includes appropriate access controls, governance mechanisms involving iwi (tribe) and hapū (sub-tribe), and adherence to tikanga (customary practices). By keeping genomic data from taonga species within this repository, researchers and institutions can better ensure that its use is ethical, transparent, and culturally responsive. For additional information and background on how the AGDR works please see the publication in Wiley Molecular ecology resources:

Te Aika B, Liggins L, Rye C, Perkins EO, Huh J, Brauning R, Godfery T, Black MA. Aotearoa genomic data repository: An āhuru mōwai for taonga species sequencing data. Mol Ecol Resour. 2025 Feb;25(2):e13866 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1755-0998.13866.

Operationally the repository has been in production since 2020 and has secure funding with Genomics Aotearoa (GA) through to mid-2030 provided by the New Zealand Government via the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

AGDR is aligned with the TRUST model for data repositories (www.nature.com/articles/s41597-020-0486-7) although it has not yet been formally certified.

Reviewer access is supported through applying for review-based data access and this will be approved by the kaitiaki for the dataset.

For additional context on the importance of control access repositories in a non-human context, see the Science publication by Professor Tahu Kukutai and Professor Amanda Black www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adr2493.

Below is a selection of publications with datasets in AGDR: