with Dr Karaitiana N Taiuru
These articles set out how Māori data sovereignty moves from principle into practice. Grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi and tikanga Māori, each one tests what it means for Māori data, whether held by whānau, hapū, marae or iwi, to be governed according to Māori values rather than treated as a commodity.
The topics range from health, forensic and agricultural data to generative AI, robotics, synthetic data, data centre development and AI policy in education, alongside critical analysis of existing data principles and government AI frameworks. Together they offer practical, tikanga-based approaches that organisations can apply, building on the He Tangata, He Karetao, He Ātārangi framework and the Tikanga Tawhito Tikanga Hou research.
There are many ways to recognise Māori Data Sovereignty, and there is no single framework. Over the past decade, Māori researchers, iwi, hapū, Māori organisations and practitioners, in addition to the New Zealand Government have built a wide range of kaupapa Māori frameworks, principles, guidelines and licences. This page lists 73 unique Māori AI and … Read more
This article explores a proposed Māori led framework for datacentre development. Using a Māori owned and developed framework using environmental protections that are interwoven in tikanga Māori that respect and utilise the New Zealand environment. It argues that by doing so, New Zealand could sustainably cater to the development of AI and Data centres. This … Read more
This post analyses public preferences of the use of GenAI in the policy decision-making process across New Zealand and compares non-New Zealand Māori to other New Zealand’s preferences. The methodology is at the end of the article. Public preferences of the use of GenAI in the policy decision-making process across New Zealand. Each column is … Read more
This week Google Maps began rolling out a New Zealand voice that pronounces te reo Māori place names correctly. Place name Whangārei with the soft “f” sound from an New Zealand dialect, Taupō with the long vowel, Karangahape Road spoken as it was named by our tūpuna, not as decades of navigation systems and generations … Read more
He Tangata, He Karetao, He Ātārangi: A person, a puppet, a shadow I am excited to release, perhaps the world’s first Indigenous Peoples AI Framework for understanding and describing the nature of an Artificial Intelligence (AI). Drawing on mātauranga Māori, tikanga Māori, and te reo Māori, the framework is encapsulated in the whakatauāki :He Tangata, … Read more
Tikanga Māori Perspectives on Forensic Data: Dr Angela Clark on Digital Governance for Tūpāpaku in Aotearoa New Zealand Emerging forensic technologies, high-resolution imaging, 3D reconstructions, and AI-assisted analysis are rapidly changing how data from tūpāpaku (the deceased) is created, used, shared, and stored in Aotearoa New Zealand. While these tools can improve identification outcomes and … Read more
An AI & Generative AI Policy in education isn’t optional anymore. Schools and tertiary institutions are already surrounded by AI, whether they have a policy or not. Students are using ChatGPT style tools to draft essays, teachers are turning to AI to plan lessons, and admin teams are experimenting with AI for reporting, analytics, and … Read more
For the first time, the rohe of Te Taura Ora o Waiāriki (Te Arawa IMPB) will have access to a dashboard built from data specific to their people recognising mana motuhake and Māori data sovereignty. . This is a powerful shift in how Māori health realities are identified, acted upon and governed. Traditionally, health-data relevant … Read more
As a follow on from the findings of the State of the Nation Māori Data Governance 2025 Report, this is one of a series of articles analysing established Māori Data Governance Frameworks with a Te Ao Māori and Data Governance lens. This article presents a critical analysis of the Te Mana Raraunga The Māori Data … Read more
Māori communities such as hapū, marae, taurahere, urban Māori and Māori organisation have always enacted sovereignty over their taonga, and in the digital age it has been no different. This podcast discusses the technical and grass roots level of Māori sovereignty that Māori refer to as “Tino Rangatiratanga” and “Mana Motuhake”. Terms enshrined in our … Read more
If your business or web site uses AI, whether for content creation (emails, newsletters, web site) or customer service chatbots, you may want to consider publishing an AI disclaimer to alleviate the fears for your New Zealand customers. In addition, if you use Mātauranga Māori/Māori Data, you should also include this in your disclaimers either … Read more
The New Zealand Government this week this week (January 29, 2025) released its first non binding AI Framework for the public sector with ethics, human and Indigenous Peoples considerations. View the Public Service AI Framework or downloadable pdf here). The Aotearoa New Zealand government Cabinet has agreed to a light-touch, proportionate and risk-based approach to … Read more
These principles should be read with Māori Data Sovereignty Principles and have been adapted to general robotics for both the industry and research to better assist the industry to acknowledge Te Tiriti o Waitangi. If creating robotics for health, then there are nationally agreed Te Tiriti principles for health that should be used in stead. … Read more
Short answer: yes. Synthetic data created from Māori data is Māori data, and it is a taonga. Synthetic data made from non-Māori data also becomes Māori data once it is combined with Māori data to produce results. Making data synthetic does not break its whakapapa. The reasoning comes from tikanga. Data drawn from Māori people, … Read more
This article will introduce the many notions of Indigenous Data and Māori Data Sovereignty and explain the differences. It is becoming common in New Zealand that the terms Indigenous and Māori Data Sovereignty are interchangeably used by Māori Data practitioners and the Crown, removing all Te Tiriti, legal and moral rights to Māori Data and … Read more
Māori Data Sovereignty with Agriculture Data and how it could assist the Agriculture industry. A perspective piece co authored with myself and my two awesome colleagues Dr Karly Burch and Dr Susanna Finlay-Smits. A real Te Tiriti approach to sharing Māori and Western perspectives for the benefit of those in the Agriculture industry. Realising the promises of agricultural … Read more
This is an opinion piece as a Tikanga practitioner and Māori Data expert who is not a lawyer and has no formal legal training. The recent Supreme Court judgement recognises Tikanga Māori is common law and applicable in the legal system. This gives further impact and recognition to the legal status of Māori Data Sovereignty … Read more
This is brief opinion piece uses traditional knowledge to show Māori Data, Māori Data Sovereignty and Māori Data Governance has existed since pre colonisation. The origins are found in mātauranga Māori (traditional knowledge) and in the natural and physical landscapes all over New Zealand and the Pacific. Māori Data is a living Taonga such as … Read more