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 support justice processes, they also raise critical cultural, ethical, and legal questions for Māori. Issues of authority, whakapapa, tapu, and kaitiakitanga become central: who has the right to make decisions about forensic data, how should sensitive material be protected, and what does dignity mean when a person may continue to exist through multiple digital representations?
In the recorded session below, leading forensic researcher Dr Angela Clark shares early findings from a Māori-centred research programme focused on governance of forensic data relating to the deceased. Drawing on interviews with Māori experts in digital technologies alongside insights from forensic practice, Dr Clark explores how tikanga can guide responsible decision-making and how Māori data governance principles may help shape ethical, culturally grounded approaches within evolving forensic data ecosystems.
Watch below or directly at YouTube https://youtu.be/mRGQk5TKX0s?si=cnoRpob5NMKgSrXR
