Insight: Empowering Whānau in IP, Data, and Technology

Dr Karaitiana Taiuru

Māori AI, Data and Merging Tech ethicist

Dr Taiuru is a leading authority and a highly accomplished visionary Māori technology ethicist specialising in Māori rights with AI, Māori Data Sovereignty and Governance with emerging digital technologies and biological sciences.

He brings extensive expertise in IP, mātauranga, tikanga Māori, te Tiriti and advocacy for digital Māori rights and data sovereignty and a profound understanding of the intersection between Māori knowledge and emerging technologies.

A professional director with membership with Institute of Directors and Governance New Zealand; Dr Taiuru operates a boutique Research and Māori cultural advisory company Taiuru & Associates, with roles including with New Zealand AI Forum, AI Researchers Association, Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor – Expert Advisory Committee on Artificial Intelligence, a legislated expert member of the Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Māori Advisory Group, Trade Marks Advisory Committee and Ministry of Health, as well as many other governance appointments.

In 2000, Karaitiana was both the leader and architect for the creation of the world’s first unmoderated Indigenous domain name <.maori.nz >, lobbyist for macrons (IDN) in the .nz DNS and has been the kaitiaki/moderator of New Zealand’s first moderated domain name .iwi.nz for Iwi in New Zealand since 2000. All which have provided Māori online an identify unique to Māori.

He studyied NZ IP Rights and Indigenous Knowledge Rights in Geneva with the intention of sitting the exam to become a Patent Attorney specialising in Māori Property Rights, Karaitiana remained in the IT/tech/digital industry
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After gaining a Master’s Degree of Indigenous and Māori Leadership with Distinction at the University of Canterbury, he completed a PhD Doctorate “Tikanga Māori Sovereignty with Genetic Research” where he exposed both non Māori and Māori researchers for cultural unsafe practice’s, resulting in recommendations for safe engagement for Māori with heath and new Māori Data Sovereignty Principles which he used in the successful Waitangi Tribunal WAI 2522 claim (TPPA) against the Crown arguing the Māori Data is a Taonga and in the Plant Varieties Regime WAI 2522 Claim.

Dr Taiuru has completed numerous international ethics courses including from University of Edinburgh, University of Michigan, Georgia Tech, Georgetown University and a myriad others.

Combining western ethics and Māori traditional knowledge allows Dr Taiuru to write about and practice Māori AI and Data Ethics which are unique to and benefit Māori.

Ernestynne Walsh

Māori Data Service Lead

Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau-a-Apanui

Ernestynne is the service lead for Māori data at Nicholson Consulting. She has led several projects on Māori businesses, te reo Māori revitalisation, iwi data insights and culturally safe use of data. She has a Master of Science and a Master of Māori and Indigenous Leadership specialising in Māori data sovereignty implementation and indigenous data governance.

Ernestynne is one of eight amonuku of He Tukutuku Koiora a tikanga-led future focused Māori governance programme. She is also a trustee of Te Rau Hihiri which advocates for Māori succeeding as Māori in the public sector. She would love to see more wāhine and rangatahi in governance roles and more strategic thought about how data and tech can be used to benefit Māori. 

Ernestynne was part of the team that won a Te Hapori Matihiko award for contributions to Māori tech in the public sector. She was also a finalist in the corporate change category.

Dan Te Whenua Walker

Global Co-Chair of Indigenous at Microsoft

He mokopuna tēnei nō ngā iwi kei raro i te korowai o te waka Aotea, arā ko te maunga tītohea. Ko Tītokowaru te tangata, ko Manuhiakai te hapū, ko Tangahoe, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāruahine ōku iwi matua. I te taha o tōku koro nō Maniapoto, Tainui, Te Atiawa. I te taha o tōku kuia nō Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa me Tūhourangi. Ko tōku pāpā nō ngā kaipuke o Wikitōria. Ko Kōtirana rāua me Aerana tōnā iwi.

I come from Taranaki, grew up in Ōtautahi ChCh and now live in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

I still have a lot to learn - but what I know is that I am a passionate learner, loving father and a proud kiwi.

My life goal is to be the best father, husband and family member I can while developing my growth, achievements and understanding in business and te ao Māori. I want my children to be proud of the man their dad is.