Māori AI, Māori Data Sovereignty, Indigenous AI & Te Tiriti
This is a knowledge hub for Māori perspectives on artificial intelligence, data sovereignty, Indigenous technology governance and Te Tiriti o Waitangi in Aotearoa New Zealand.
It brings together the frameworks, principles, research and analysis of Dr Karaitiana Taiuru on the relationship between Māori rights, data, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
What is Māori AI?
Māori AI refers to artificial intelligence considered, developed, governed or applied through Māori perspectives, including tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, te reo Māori, Māori Data Sovereignty, tino rangatiratanga and other Māori rights and interests.
Māori AI is not simply AI translated into te reo Māori or AI containing Māori cultural content. It also raises questions about who controls the technology, whose knowledge and data are used, who makes decisions, who benefits and who is accountable for impacts on Māori.
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1. Māori Data Sovereignty
Māori Data Sovereignty concerns Māori authority, governance and control over Māori data and Māori data ecosystems.
On this website, Māori Data Sovereignty is connected to the rights of whānau, hapū, iwi, marae and Māori organisations to exercise control over the creation, collection, access, analysis, interpretation, management, security, dissemination, use and reuse of Māori data.
The existing Māori Data Sovereignty material also connects these questions to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, tikanga Māori and Māori governance.
Key questions
What is Māori Data Sovereignty?
Why does Māori Data Sovereignty matter for AI?
Primary Taiuru resources
Compendium of Māori Data Sovereignty
The consolidated Māori Data Sovereignty resource. Earlier Māori Data
Sovereignty pages on this website state that the material was combined
and updated into the Compendium.
Māori Data Sovereignty Statement
A practical statement describing Māori Data, Māori Data Sovereignty
and Māori governance.
Māori Data Sovereignty: A definition
An earlier definition of Māori Data Sovereignty. The page identifies
the Compendium as the later consolidated source.
Māori Data Governance Report
Research examining the contemporary Māori Data Sovereignty and Māori
Data Governance landscape in New Zealand, including implications for
AI and algorithms.
2. Māori AI
Māori AI concerns the relationship between Māori knowledge, values,
rights and governance and the design, development, deployment and use
of artificial intelligence.
Dr Taiuru’s Kaupapa Māori AI Framework, published 6 March 2026, provides a Māori conceptual framework for understanding and describing AI. It draws on mātauranga Māori, tikanga Māori and
te reo Māori and uses the whakatauāki He Tangata, He Karetao, He Ātārangi.
What does Māori AI involve?
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- Māori participation and decision-making in AI governance.
- Protection and appropriate governance of Māori data.
- Recognition of tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori.
- Consideration of Māori outcomes when AI systems are designed or
deployed. - Māori capability to develop, operate and govern AI.
- Accountability for AI systems that affect Māori people,
communities, knowledge or interests.
Primary Taiuru resources
Kaupapa Māori AI Framework
A framework for understanding and describing AI through mātauranga Māori, tikanga Māori and te reo Māori.
Māori AI Sovereignty Principles
Three pou address data sovereignty and data governance, control over infrastructure and code, and skilled Māori workforces.
New Zealand and Māori AI Sovereignty
Examines sovereign AI capability in Aotearoa and the relationship between national technological sovereignty and Māori AI sovereignty.
Māori Data Sovereignty preferences in GenAI
Research examining Māori and non-Māori preferences concerning
generative AI, including Māori Data Sovereignty and Māori expert
involvement.
3. Indigenous AI
Indigenous AI considers artificial intelligence from the perspectives, rights, knowledge systems and governance interests of Indigenous peoples.
This includes questions of Indigenous data sovereignty, Indigenous intellectual property, cultural knowledge, language, consent, participation, governance, infrastructure and control over AI systems.
Māori AI forms part of this wider Indigenous technology conversation, while retaining the specific historical, constitutional and cultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Key Indigenous AI questions
Who governs Indigenous data used by AI?
Can AI reproduce Indigenous knowledge without Indigenous authority?
What does Indigenous AI sovereignty mean?
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Primary Taiuru resources
Māori AI Sovereignty Principles
A Māori localisation of international Indigenous AI sovereignty principles, addressing data governance, infrastructure, code and skilled workforces.
Risks of AI Agents to Māori
Examines the risks presented by autonomous AI agents to Māori and proposes a Māori-led governance approach grounded in mana motuhake and kaitiakitanga.
AI Agents and Legal Personhood in Māori Context
Examines governance questions arising when AI agents are constituted
by or operate on Māori data and knowledge.
Māori Data Sovereignty and Digital Colonisation
Earlier work examining Māori Data Sovereignty, digital technology, Māori governance and digital colonisation.
4. AI and Te Tiriti o Waitangi
AI governance in Aotearoa New Zealand also raises questions about Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Māori rights, participation, protection, authority and governance.
Dr Taiuru’s six Te Tiriti-based AI ethical principles apply Māori and Te Tiriti considerations across the AI lifecycle, from inception and design through to release and monitoring.
Six Te Tiriti-based AI ethical principles
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- Tino Rangatiratanga Māori leadership, decision-making and governance throughout the AI lifecycle.
- Equity AI systems should contribute to equitable outcomes for Māori.
- Active Protection developers and owners should take action to prevent harm and
protect Māori interests. - Mana Whakahaere effective stewardship and appropriate governance of AI systems
and Māori data. - Mana Motuhake tikanga and Māori decision-making should be recognised throughout
AI development and deployment. - Tapu / Noa and Cultural Safety AI systems should not operate in culturally unsafe ways or breach relevant Māori cultural protocols.
Primary Taiuru resources
6 Te Tiriti Based Artificial Intelligence Ethical Principles
Published 27 October 2023
The six principles provide a Te Tiriti-based framework for AI governance and ethics.
Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti and Māori Ethics Guidelines for:
AI, Algorithms, Data and IoT
Published 4 May 2020
Earlier guidelines addressing Te Tiriti, Māori ethics, AI, algorithms, data and Internet of Things technologies.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi Principles for Robotics
Applies Te Tiriti considerations to robotics and relatedemerging technologies.
Autonomous AI Governance Guidance for New Zealand Organisations
Guidance addressing governance, accountability and Te Tiriti
considerations when organisations deploy autonomous AI agents.
The guidance specifically identifies risks involving Māori data
sovereignty and Māori authority.
AI Governance in Aotearoa New Zealand
These four areas intersect in practical AI governance. An organisation considering an AI system that uses Māori data, produces outputs about Māori or affects Māori should consider more than technical performance and conventional AI ethics.
Questions organisations should ask
- What Māori data does the system use, access or generate?
- Who has authority over that data?
- What Māori knowledge, language or cultural material is involved?
- Who has decision-making authority over the AI system?
- Are Māori involved as decision-makers rather than only consultees?
- What happens if the system produces culturally harmful,
inaccurate or biased outputs? - Who is accountable for decisions made or supported by the system?
- Can Māori governance authority intervene, modify or stop the system?
- Where are the data, models and infrastructure located and
under whose jurisdiction? - What happens to Māori data and knowledge when the AI system is
retired or replaced?
Frequently asked questions
What is Māori Data Sovereignty?
Māori Data Sovereignty concerns Māori authority and governance over Māori data and Māori data ecosystems. It includes questions of control, access, use, storage, governance and accountability.
Read the Compendium of Māori Data Sovereignty
What is Māori AI?
Māori AI considers artificial intelligence through Māori perspectives, including tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, te reo Māori, Māori Data Sovereignty, tino rangatiratanga and Māori governance.
Read the Kaupapa Māori AI Framework
What is Indigenous AI?
Indigenous AI considers the rights, knowledge systems, governance, data, cultural interests and technological sovereignty of Indigenous peoples in relation to artificial intelligence.
Māori AI is one expression of Indigenous AI, while retaining the specific context of Aotearoa New Zealand.
How does Te Tiriti o Waitangi relate to AI?
Te Tiriti raises questions about Māori authority, participation, protection, equity and governance in the design and deployment of technologies that affect Māori. Taiuru’s six Te Tiriti-based AI ethical principles apply these considerations across the AI lifecycle.
What is Māori AI Sovereignty?
Māori AI Sovereignty extends sovereignty questions beyond data to include infrastructure, code, models, capability and governance.
Taiuru’s Māori AI Sovereignty Principles identify data sovereignty and governance, infrastructure and code, and skilled workforces as three key pou.
Read the Māori AI Sovereignty Principles
Research and current analysis
The frameworks above are supported by continuing research and analysis
concerning AI, data governance and Māori interests.
Māori Data Sovereignty preferences in GenAI
Research examining Māori and non-Māori preferences concerning generative AI, including Māori Data Sovereignty, Māori expert involvement and other AI attributes.
Māori Data Governance Report
Research into the state of Māori Data Sovereignty and Māori Data Governance in New Zealand.
Responsible AI in New Zealand
Analysis of New Zealand’s AI governance environment and the role of
Māori governance across the AI lifecycle.
AI Agents and Legal Personhood in Māori Context
Analysis of governance questions associated with autonomous AI agents,
Māori data and Māori governance.
About the author
Dr Karaitiana Taiuru is a Māori technologist whose work focuses on Māori AI, Māori Data Sovereignty, Māori Data Governance, AI governance, Indigenous technology, tikanga Māori,
mātauranga Māori and emerging technology.
His published work includes frameworks and principles concerning Māori Data Sovereignty, AI sovereignty, AI ethics, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, robotics and emerging AI systems.
Original frameworks
For the chronological collection of original frameworks and principles, including publication dates and historical versions, visit:
Original AI, Māori Data Sovereignty & Technology
Frameworks
The material on this website is provided for research, governance, educational and informational purposes. Individual publications should be consulted for their full context, sources, methodology and limitations. Governance guidance should not be treated as legal advice
unless expressly identified as such.
Suggested citation
Taiuru, K. Māori AI, Māori Data Sovereignty, Indigenous AI &
Te Tiriti. Taiuru & Associates Ltd.
https://www.taiuru.co.nz/maori-ai-data-sovereignty/