git:20260524.df4341f to git:20260719.1748a98

22 added, 1 removed. Audit A to A.

---

name: data-govt-nz

- description: Search and inspect New Zealand Government open-data catalogue datasets, organisations, resources, and datastore records through the public CKAN API at catalogue.data.govt.nz. Use when the task involves finding NZ public datasets, agencies, downloadable resources, CSV/API links, metadata, or data.govt.nz catalogue records. Read-only and no API key required.

+ description: "Search and inspect New Zealand Government open-data catalogue datasets, organisations, resources, and datastore records through the public CKAN API at catalogue.data.govt.nz. Use when the task involves finding NZ public datasets, agencies, downloadable resources, CSV/API links, metadata, or data.govt.nz catalogue records. Read-only and no API key required."

+ license: MIT

+ compatibility: "Requires Python 3.10+ and network access for live data"

+ metadata:

+ thecolab.category: "public-data"

+ thecolab.source_owner: "New Zealand Government Chief Data Steward"

+ thecolab.source_type: "official"

+ thecolab.auth: "none"

+ thecolab.access_mode: "public-api"

+ thecolab.data_class: "public"

+ thecolab.writes: "false"

+ thecolab.browser: "false"

+ thecolab.risk: "low"

+ thecolab.cache_ttl: "24h"

+ thecolab.schema_version: "1"

+ thecolab.skill_type: "public-api"

+ thecolab.pack: "nz-public-data"

+ thecolab.source_url: "https://catalogue.data.govt.nz/api/3/action/"

+ thecolab.allowed_domains: "catalogue.data.govt.nz"

+ thecolab.last_verified: "2026-07-19"

+ thecolab.health: "healthy"

+ thecolab.maintainer: "@adam91holt"

---

# data.govt.nz Catalogue

## Goal

Query New Zealand's public open-data catalogue through a deterministic no-login CLI backed by the CKAN API.

## Use this when

- A user asks what public NZ datasets exist for a topic

- A workflow needs dataset metadata, organisations, resource URLs, or formats

- A user has a data.govt.nz dataset ID/name and wants details

- A workflow needs a small preview from a CKAN datastore resource

## Do not use this for

- Authenticated agency portals or non-public datasets

- Bulk mirroring the entire catalogue

- Treating catalogue metadata as authoritative source data without checking the linked source resource

## CLI

```bash

python3 skills/data-govt-nz/scripts/cli.py search "water quality" --json

python3 skills/data-govt-nz/scripts/cli.py dataset waterpoint --json

python3 skills/data-govt-nz/scripts/cli.py orgs --limit 20

python3 skills/data-govt-nz/scripts/cli.py resource <resource-id> --limit 5 --json

```

Commands:

- `search QUERY [--limit N] [--json]` - catalogue dataset search

- `dataset ID_OR_NAME [--json]` - full dataset/package metadata

- `orgs [--limit N] [--json]` - list catalogue organisations

- `resource RESOURCE_ID [--limit N] [--json]` - datastore preview when available

## Resources

- CLI: `scripts/cli.py`

- Smoke test: `scripts/smoke_test.py`

- API notes: `references/api-notes.md`