Emerging forensic technologies, from high-resolution imaging to 3D-reconstructions, and AI-assisted analysis, are transforming how data from tūpāpaku are created, used, and stored.
As these tools evolve, they open new possibilities for identification and justice, while also raising important cultural, ethical, and legal considerations. Questions of authority, whakapapa, tapu, and kaitiakitanga emerge: how might these principles guide the care of such data, and what does dignity look like when the deceased may continue to exist in multiple digital forms?
In this recorded session below, Dr Angela Clark shares early findings from a Māori-centred research programme exploring governance for forensic data of the deceased in Aotearoa. Drawing from interviews with Māori experts in digital technologies and insights from forensic practice, the talk explores how tikanga and Māori Data Sovereignty principles might shape ethical, culturally grounded approaches within evolving forensic data ecosystems.
Watch below or directly at YouTube https://youtu.be/mRGQk5TKX0s?si=cnoRpob5NMKgSrXR