Taiuru & Associates Ltd is an Aotearoa New Zealand based consultancy specialising in AI governance, responsible AI, data governance, Māori data rights, and emerging technology risk. We help boards, executives, iwi and Māori organisations, and public sector leaders make confident decisions about AI and digital systems that grounded in practical risk management, legal compliance, and real world operational delivery.
Led by Dr Karaitiana Taiuru, Taiuru & Associates brings decades of experience across technology, governance, and Indigenous rights. Dr Taiuru is widely recognised for his work on algorithmic bias, AI ethics, digital identity, data governance, and Māori intellectual property in the context of modern data and AI systems. Our work is designed to be useful, implementable, and measurable so organisations can move beyond policy statements and actually embed good governance into technology programmes.
Why organisations choose us
Board-grade advice that is practical. We translate complex technical issues, AI models, data pipelines, cloud platforms, automated decisions into clear governance decisions and risk trade offs. Our outputs are designed to be used in the real world: frameworks, templates, briefings, decision gates, and measurable controls.
Deep capability across AI + governance + Māori rights
Taiuru & Associates brings a rare combination: emerging technology governance expertise alongside deep understanding of Māori rights, tikanga, and cultural risk in digital environments.
Independent, outcomes-focused consulting
We are not selling software. We provide independent advice focused on reducing risk, improving capability, and helping organisations deliver outcomes that are lawful, ethical, and trusted.
About Dr Dr Karaitiana Taiuru JP, MInstD.
Primary Iwi affiliations: Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Toa.
Dr Karaitiana Taiuru is a preeminent Māori expert in the intersection of tikanga Māori (cultural values), mātauranga Māori (traditional knowledge), and emerging digital technologies. He specialises in areas such as AI ethics, Māori Data Sovereignty, digital governance, and intellectual property rights.
From cultural appropriation in algorithm design to the risks and opportunities AI presents for all communities, Dr Taiuru provides useful and practicable insights and advise into the ethical, governance, and rights-based issues that can’t be ignored. Whether you’re in policy, product design, or technical leadership, Dr Taiuru will challenge your organisation to think more critically and inclusively about the future we’re building.
He is also known for his work with various tech boards and organisations, including his involvement with the AI Forum Kāhui Māori and the Institute of AI Governance.
The above is AI assisted summary.
Current and recent projects include multiple projects across several universities including: University of Auckland including “A collaboration to develop an Aotearoa Health AI Evaluation Framework” working with multiple other universities, The Australian National University “AI as Infrastructure: Large Language Models for Transnational Historical Research”; University of Canterbury Marsden Fund “Training natural language models to understand genomics and study gout in Māori and Pacific populations”, “AI-driven Two Way, Feedback Controlled Emotional Recognition Training for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder”; University of Canterbury and Health Research Council “Development and validation of Human Digital Twins for reversing Type II Diabetes” providing tikanga Māori expertise with Data and AI; LandCare Research “Harnessing generative artificial intelligence to inform nature-based adaptation to climate change”; Victoria University of Wellington “Saving Screen Time: People with ADHD and Disconnecting from the Internet” using tikanga Māori Data Sovereignty to understand cultural differences.