Te Mana Raraunga
Māori Data Sovereignty Network
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Our Data, Our Sovereignty, Our Future

Ngā mihi ki a koutou katoa

Our data, our sovereignty, our future. This vision drove the establishment of Te Mana Raraunga as the Māori Data Sovereignty Network. We advocate for Māori rights and interests in data to be protected as the world moves into an increasingly open data environment. 

 

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What is Māori Data Sovereignty?

Data Sovereignty typically refers to the understanding that data is subject to the laws of the nation within which it is stored.

Indigenous Data Sovereignty perceives data as subject to the laws of the nation from which it is collected.

Māori Data Sovereignty recognises that Māori data should be subject to Māori governance. Māori data sovereignty supports tribal sovereignty and the realisation of Maori and Iwi aspirations.

“My data is a living essence, it tells the story genetically about where I’ve come from, who I am – that’s telling a story of me, a story about my whakapapa, right down to my belief.”
— Dickie Farrar, whakatōhea

Formation

The idea for Te Mana Raraunga emerged from a meeting of Māori researchers and practitioners at a workshop hosted by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia on Data Sovereignty for Indigenous Peoples in July 2015. The workshop considered the implications of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) for the collection, ownership and application of data pertaining to indigenous peoples and what these might mean for indigenous peoples’ sovereignty.

An inaugural meeting on Māori Data Sovereignty was held at Hopuhopu on 19 October 2015 where the formation of Te Mana Raraunga as a Māori Data Sovereignty Network was accepted by the participants and the contents of the charter discussed.

The Te Mana Raraunga Charter was approved at the second Te Mana Raraunga hui held at Papakura Marae in Auckland on 5 April 2016.

The third Te Mana Raraunga hui was held at Waipapa marae in Auckland on 9 June 2016 to share updates on the activities being conducted under the umbrella of Te Mana Raraunga and to develop strategic workstreams.

The fourth Te Mana Raraunga hui was held at Te Ao Hurihuri marae at the University of Waikato on 10 April 2017 to discuss the challenges to operationalising Māori Data Sovereignty and explore the Social License for Data Use.

Purpose

The purpose of Te Mana Raraunga is to enable Māori Data Sovereignty and to advance Māori aspirations for collective and individual wellbeing by:

  • Asserting Māori rights and interests in relation to data

  • Ensuring data for and about Māori can be safeguarded and protected

  • Requiring the quality and integrity of Maori data and its collection

  • Advocating for Māori involvement in the governance of data repositories

  • Supporting the development of Māori data infrastructure and security systems

  • Supporting the development of sustainable Māori digital businesses and innovations