The Māori Data Governance Model (MDG Model) featured at the Istanbul Innovation Days 2025 last month, highlighting the distinctive value that Māori bring to global conversations about data and digital innovation. Sponsored by the United Nations, the annual gathering is a major event for the development community, and is attended by government, industry and civil society groups from around the world.
Kirikowhai Mikaere (Tuhourangi, Ngāti Whakaue) was invited to speak at the Days in her role as lead data technician for the National Iwi Chairs Forum Data Iwi Leaders Group (Data ILG) and Te Aho Tapu for its operational arm Te Kāhui Raraunga (TKR). The MDG Model is a world-first, providing a comprehensive guide to data governance through a Te Ao Māori lens. Kirikowhai is one of the Māori data experts that designed the Model, along with NPM Pou Matarua Professor Tahu Kukutai and senior researcher Associate Professor Donna Cormack.
Kirikowhai says the Model piqued the interest of organisers because of its unique approach to data governance, rooted in mātauranga and tikanga Māori. “I am a firm believer that there is a real contribution that our mātauranga can make to these conversations. As soon as you go global you can see the profound contribution mātauranga can make at an international level where there are conversations about digital technology and data.”
The Model was designed to provide the Aotearoa public service with clear guidance on how to steward Māori data in ways that align with Māori values and empower self-determination. Kirikowhai says a trustworthy system is key and people around the world are recognizing how important this is. “Trust is the currency of data, so if you don’t have trusted systems, it’s hard to have trust in the people and the institutions in this complex unsecure world. Our model is raising crucial issues that are important for everyone, not just Māori and Indigenous peoples,” she says.
The Model was released in 2023 and quickly grew a reputation as an ethical, values-driven approach to data governance that was quite different from existing approaches.
“In 2023, we were invited to the International Conference on Machine Learning in Hawaii where I sat on a panel with international innovators from Apple, Facebook, Google DeepMind and Microsoft, as well as a professor from MIT. These people had been meeting for 40 years, but this was the first time they had ever had an Indigenous person on their panel.”
“What they said after they read the model, was that they had been missing an important voice in the whole development of AI and machine learning. They realized they had forgotten to embed ethics when they started to create machine learning,” says Kirikowhai.
She says the international community is looking at Māori as innovators in this space, “all the way from Rotorua in Aotearoa, we are innovating in this digital and data space, not just for Indigenous people, but for global communities.”
Kirikowhai says data is one of the biggest assets in the world and because of this it has huge potential as well as risk. “Data is a strategic asset, and it is very much an economic asset.”
Because of the risks, she says Aotearoa needs to be very intentional about the technology that it adopts. “If it’s not our data, then it's not really our intelligence. One of the key factors for what we do at Te Kāhui Raraunga is being mindful of how we drive the continuity of our consciousness in this data and digital world. We need to be careful about the consciousness being programmed into AI, and what that may mean for future generations.”
On a local level Te Kāhui Raraunga is developing and innovating several platforms for use. These platforms not only safeguard data but also utilize data to the benefit of different communities. One such platform is Te Whata, a ‘by iwi, for iwi’ data visualization platform.
Te Whata brings together iwi Māori data to allow greater access and use by iwi of their data in ways that will benefit their communities. “The potential is huge. One of the biggest things we are doing is helping iwi to understand their own data. Once they understand this, they are better able to make strategic decisions about the types of initiatives they want to roll out.”
Te Kāhui Raraunga is training iwi information managers throughout the country, so they can understand and use their data appropriately. To date, it has run two large workshops in Rotorua (with over 80 iwi information practitioners) and will run a roadshow around the country this year to further share the platform and learnings. Kirikowhai says there is huge potential for the data to be used to impact lives in many areas such as health, education and employment.
“When we have data that is reflective of us and our communities, we can make good decisions about our futures. This platform enables iwi to be more responsive to the needs of their people.”