26 May 2023
The first steps towards iwi-Māori having greater control, sovereignty and outcomes from iwi-Māori data were taken in Rotorua today with the release of the Māori Data Governance Model.
The first steps towards iwi-Māori having greater control, sovereignty and outcomes from iwi-Māori data were taken in Rotorua today with the release of the Māori Data Governance Model.
The globally-leading model has been designed to be used across the public sector to improve whānau outcomes.
Te Kāhui Raraunga, an iwi-led organisation made up of iwi-Māori data experts, has released the report, marking a significant milestone in the ground-breaking Mana Ōrite Relationship Agreement between the Data Iwi Leaders Group (Data ILG) and Stats NZ. The report details how the Māori Data Governance Model works, what it aims to achieve and why it is necessary.
The model has been designed to support the aspiration of a te Tiriti-led, te Tiriti-focussed data system. It provides guidance for all agencies to undertake Māori data governance in a way that is values-led, centred on Māori needs and priorities, and informed by research.
It sets clear expectations for the system-wide governance of Māori data, consistent with the Government’s responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and provides direction on the actions, processes and activities needed to meet these expectations.
Professor Tahu Kukutai, who chaired the expert group that designed the model, says it will help put an end to extractive and unethical data practices.
“He taonga ō tātou raraunga. Māori data is a taonga that requires culturally grounded models of protection and care.
“The model comes at the right time for the kāwanatanga given some of the ethical challenges being raised by new data technologies and declining public trust and confidence.
“It provides agencies with a very clear roadmap on how to do good data governance - it's a model that is not only good for iwi-Māori but good for Aotearoa."
Global Indigenous Data Alliance (GIDA) Chair, Prof. Stephanie Russo Carroll, says the model is a stunning international example of what can be achieved when governments trust Indigenous peoples to be the data designers.
"GIDA developed the CARE principles for Indigenous data governance as minimum standards for data governance. The Māori data governance model has taken it to a whole other level and sets clear expectations for what best practice Indigenous data governance could and should look like. It is truly groundbreaking.
"I think many other Indigenous communities will be watching with great interest how this model gets implemented by the New Zealand Government and what we can learn from it."
Te Kāhui Raraunga Chairman, Rahui Papa, says beyond the model, the report also identifies the need for strategic investment in a Mana Motuhake data system.
“This system would sit outside of the public sector to ensure iwi and hapū have sovereignty over iwi and hapū data.
“We are designers of our own data and it is through this taonga that we have the power to effect positive change for our people.”
The Māori Data Governance Model report is available on the Te Kāhui Raraunga website.