Te Kete o Karaitiana Taiuru (Blog)

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  • Google Translate Māori – Sexist and Ignorant of LGBTQ+

    Google Translate Māori – Sexist and Ignorant of LGBTQ+

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    Google Translate is another example of AI, Algorithms and Machine Learning discriminating against minorities, while misrepresenting the Maori language and customs . Google Translate interprets te reo Maori more accurately as it learns and is supporting the revival of te reo Māori. While it had the expertise of Dr Te Taka Keegan in its development,

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  • Origins of the term Pākehā

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    The word Pākehā is a controversial word for some people. Some Māori and non Māori claim that the word Pākehā is offensive. Others have attempted to explain the word based on their own understandings and sometimes own hapū and whānau interpretations. Introduction This article provides an holistic analysis based on research from the early 18th

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  • Tikanga about animated pictures of the dead

    Tikanga about animated pictures of the dead

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    A new technological trend of animating images of people is becoming popular with images Māori tipuna and other dead people being animated for fun without knowledge of the offence to Māori, whānau, hapū and Iwi, nor the tikanga breaches. The app is called “My Heritage app”. In the past week I have seen several images

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  • Māori Data Sovereignty an Updated Definition

    Māori Data Sovereignty an Updated Definition

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    Update: All Māori Data Sovereignty posts have been combined and updated into a Compendium of Māori Data Sovereignty – https://www.taiuru.co.nz/compendium-of-maori-data-sovereignty/  Over the past four years there has been such a directed focus on Iwi rights with Data held by the Crown that the definition of Māori Data Sovereignty has neglected traditional and modern Māori societal hierarchy

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  • Can the Māori Language be colonised if used with AI and other digital technologies?

    Can the Māori Language be colonised if used with AI and other digital technologies?

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    This brief article looks at the idea that the Māori language will be colonised if used in speech recognition, machine learning, AI and other linguist technologies. This article makes the argument that the Māori language can not be colonised and that by making such statements will only hinder Māori Peoples and wellbeing. As technology is

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  • Māori Culture Guidelines for Brand Owners and Marketing

    Māori Culture Guidelines for Brand Owners and Marketing

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    These high level guidelines have been written by Karaitiana Taiuru who has been involved with Māori Cultural rights, Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge and assisting brands both in New Zealand and internationally for over 25 years. Last updated January 10 2021. The motivation to write this document is to provide an introduction to Māori cultural appropriation

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  • Maori Cultural DNA

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    At the end of November 2020,  the Law Commission released a report on DNA samples in Criminal Investigations that made sweeping recommendations that included protecting Māori cultural rights and recognising Te Tiriti obligations. It recommended that the law governing the taking of DNA samples the Criminal Investigations (Bodily Samples) Act (CIBS Act) be updated to

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  • Classic racist reply to claims of cultural appropriation

    Classic racist reply to claims of cultural appropriation

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    I have been calling out and educating perpetrators of cultural appropriation for decades. Of the hundreds of responses and abuse mocking me, there is a common theme as follows: As a Maori/Indigenous Person (etc) you wear European clothes, a European watch, use a computer that your people didn’t use to have, drive a car which

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  • Māori Cultural considerations with Facial Recognition Technology in New Zealand

    Māori Cultural considerations with Facial Recognition Technology in New Zealand

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    The New Zealand Police, Customs, Ministry of Justice, DIA and other government agencies have a wide arsenal of Facial Recognition technologies with little or no regulation or consultation with Māori. This will likely lead to the likelihood of further widespread discrimination and cultural unsafe practices that will directly impact Māori as we have already seen

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  • Māori Data Sovereignty and Associated Legal Instruments

    Māori Data Sovereignty and Associated Legal Instruments

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    Update: All Māori Data Sovereignty posts have been combined and updated into a Compendium of Māori Data Sovereignty – https://www.taiuru.co.nz/compendium-of-maori-data-sovereignty/  A new and inclusive of all Māori people and societies, not just Iwi as has been the status quo since Māori Data Sovereignty was first discussed in 2016 or thereabouts, definitions of Māori Data and Māori

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  • Māori business self identification – end of racist profiling

    Māori business self identification – end of racist profiling

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    Stuff reported a story that Māori businesses will soon have the opportunity to self identify as Maori. For the first time, a national register will let companies say if they identify as a Māori business. A change to the National Business Number register will give Māori enterprises the option to record data that identifies them

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  • Māori Data Sovereignty and Digital Colonisation

    Māori Data Sovereignty and Digital Colonisation

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    Presentation to the Digital Justice – Emerging Technologies, Methods and Research on September 11 2020. Presentation here. Abstract An introduction to Māori and Indigenous Data sovereignty and digital colonisation. The presentation starts with a traditional Māori society view of Data, customary ownership values, Treaty of Waitangi values and Indigenises digital data to show the importance

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  • NZ Algorithm charter – Are Māori protected?

    NZ Algorithm charter – Are Māori protected?

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    The Algorithm charter for Aotearoa New Zealand was released by the New Zealand Government earlier this year. The charter has the potential to further discriminate against Māori than the current biases of Data, Algorithms and Machine learning already does. This discrimination against minorities and women is well documented internationally. The government also claimed the Charter

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  • Kingi appropriation or ill informed individuals

    Kingi appropriation or ill informed individuals

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    The NZ Herald and Stuff have run a number of stories about a restaurant using the name “Kingi” and a few Māori and non Māori claiming it is cultural appropriation. The arguments are in my opinion getting so absurd that that I worry about the knowledge of some people who claim to be cultural experts

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  • Govt app discriminates against Māori language in another embarrassing ICT lesson

    Govt app discriminates against Māori language in another embarrassing ICT lesson

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    Another embarrassing lesson for the ICT and Digital industry when working with the New Zealand government. If you don’t consider Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti with digital projects you could unintentionally discriminate against Māori, Treaty and in this case legislation that protects and enhances the Māori Language. The New Zealand Covid app provided by the Ministry

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  • Eroding tikanga of the hongi

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    The recent introduction of kissing females on the cheek and ignoring the customary practice of a hongi creates a number of issues including the loss of tikanga and the real possibility of discriminating against people in our community. THe earliest written account in the South Island of Ngai Tahu of the traditional practice of the

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  • 5G spectrum is a taonga Māori

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    Māori have an unique opportunity to gain substantial social, economic and educational advantages with 5G spectrum now that the government has allocated Māori a slice. The biggest risk is the lack of consultation with the handful of treaty claimants who it appears to be making the same mistake again as occurred with 3G spectrum allocation

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  • Kiwiana, Religious abuse or appropriation?

    Kiwiana, Religious abuse or appropriation?

    Karaitiana Taiuru

    This article discusses the inappropriate and satirical usage of Māori religious icons and racial stereotypes of Māori in the Tasti bar advert that TVNZ recently played on air. The advert is also online here.   UPDATE: Tasti apologise and state they will remove the advert. Their media statement here.     The advert promotes racism

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