--- title: Rangatahi Māori concerned with lack of AI training description: Explore the need for Rangatahi Māori AI training and how it impacts employment and cultural preservation for future generations. url: https://www.taiuru.co.nz/rangatahi-maori-concerned-with-ai-training/ markdown_url: https://www.taiuru.co.nz/rangatahi-maori-concerned-with-ai-training.md type: post slug: rangatahi-maori-concerned-with-ai-training author: Karaitiana Taiuru published: 2026-10-27T01:53:09Z modified: 2026-10-27T01:53:09Z language: en-NZ taxonomies: category: - Artificial Intelligence (AI) - Statistics word_count: 708 tokens: 1123 --- # Rangatahi Māori concerned with lack of AI training Te Ao Māori news poll show rangatahi Māori have concerns at the lack of AI training opportunities and are aware of the short term future risks with employment and culture. The poll should be a wake-up call. When nearly six in ten rangatahi are telling us the Government isn’t doing enough, it is a policy gap. Our young people can see what is coming, and they can see they are not being prepared for it. Latest research poll shows 58% of rangatahi Māori believe the Government is not doing enough to prepare rangatahi Māori for AI (Artificial Intelligence), while only 18% believe enough is being done. A further 13% said somewhat, while 11% were unsure. As AI becomes increasingly common across workplaces, education and everyday life, understanding how to use the technology will be vital for the next generation entering the workforce. “Those entry-level jobs, that’s when we learn how to work, that’s where we learn how to be in a workforce, and how to be in a workplace, and if we’re not getting access to those jobs we’re getting stunted in the first place,” says Matariki Roche. Source: https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2026/10/27/new-poll-58-of-rangatahi-felt-unsupported-for-ai-future/ Māori are already over-represented in the sectors and roles most likely to be reshaped by AI. If those first rungs on the ladder disappear and nothing replaces them, we risk locking in inequities for another generation. They are met by resourcing, by design, and by Māori having real decision-making power.” Preparing rangatahi is about more than teaching them to use tools built elsewhere. Digital and AI literacy is required, but rangatahi Māori shouldn’t just be users of AI, they should be building it, governing it, and holding it to account. That means understanding where the data comes from, who controls it, and whose values are encoded in these systems. Mātauranga Māori and tikanga have a lot to offer here, and our young people should be learning AI in a way that is grounded in who they are. We need targeted investment in kaupapa Māori AI education, pathways into technical and governance roles, and Māori businesses at the table shaping what that looks like. Rangatahi are ready. The question is whether the system is. But are schools, whare wānanga and training providers keeping up with the pace of change? Nope!  Already they are falling behind with mainstream education providers with AI. For rangatahi Māori, access to digital skills and education will play an important role in shaping future opportunities as industries adapt to AI. The pressing question is what actions are being taken to prepare them, and whether more resources are needed to ensure rangatahi Māori can seize the opportunities AI brings to the workforce in Aotearoa. As I have mentioned many times, Māori have already faces several waves of digtial colonisation. 1984 to 2021 Was the first phase of Digital Colonialism. The Internet became commercially available from August 1984. 94% of New Zealanders have access to the internet in January 2021. GPS mainstream. Māori were ignored in the New Zealand Internet development in terms of governance. Māori were made invisible. 1992 The World Wide Web is mainstream in New Zealand. WAI 262 claim filed in tribunal. Māori culture was appropriated with domain names, mātauranga Māori and Māori were and still in 2026 were disproportionality suffer negative impacts of socially and culturally unacceptable online behaviours, in part due to being invisible with the Internet. 1999 Web 2.0. Introduction of Social Media OldFriends, then others such as MySpace and Bebo, FaceBook etc. Data is more valuable than oil. Massive increases with Māori and disproportionality suffer negative impacts of socially and culturally unacceptable online behaviours, in part due to being invisible with the Internet and with the web. Harms continue to get worse and more widespread with no Māori governance opportunities. 2001 Māori Data Sovereignty Network (2016). WAI 2252 Māori Data is a Taonga (2017). Issues were raised, but primarily within academia.   2022 AI (De)Colonialism ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) ChatGPT is a household name. Māori are at a crossroads to embrace AI or allow it to decolonise us. Māori are on the brink of a final wave of digital colonisatiaon, our rangatahi see it, our rangatahi are concerned and our eduction providers are not moving or not moving quick enough!