Koi te mata punenga | Innovative research

MBIE has funded the Tikanga in Technology (TinT) research programme. Our programme will address the challenge of data classification, provenance, and valuation when sharing Indigenous data across systems. Drawing on Māori tikanga relating to the creation, protection, and sharing of knowledge, we will develop technologies to support wise decision-making through data governance.

Data science is creating an immersive digitally enabled society and the challenge for Indigenous communities is to thrive within this digital future. The opportunity lies both in embedding a Te Ao Māori conceptual lens into data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and visualisation, and in using these methods to enhance Māori distinctiveness.

Click here for more information on the Tikanga in Technology project and the Whāki Webinar Series.

This project funded by the Digital Council looks at Māori perspectives on trust and automated decision making. The research contributes to the Digital Council’s work on technological issues facing New Zealand relating to trust.

This project explores understanding the trust Māori have in automated decision-making technologies and how this influences perceptions of the harm and benefit of technology.

This project is jointly funded by Science for Technological Innovation (SfTI) National Science Challenge and Genomics Aotearoa. It explores Māori rights and interests with respect to Māori data, genomic data and mātauranga Māori. The research considers the various national legislation and international agreements that comprise New Zealand’s Intellectual Property Rights regime (IPR).  A report has recently been released by Te Kotahi Research Intitute regarding Māori IP.

Understanding  Māori Rights and Interests in Intellectual Property arising from Research and Innovation., 

This project is funded by Genomics Aotearoa to develop guidelines for genomic research on taonga species. The guidelines are being developed as a tool to assist in the planning and execution of genomic research in a manner that honours taonga, kaitiaki and mātauranga Māori. The guidelines support mana whenua and serve as a starting point for hapū and iwi to formulate specific guidance that is relevant to their own tikanga and mātauranga.

This Catalyst Seeding Fund project created the Aotearoa Biocultural Labels Working Group (ABLWG) and introduced the Traditional Knowledge (TK) Label project to New Zealand. One of the primary responsibilities for the ABLWG has been to test the application of the new Biocultural (BC) Labels to genetic resources and genomic data in institutions.

This University of Waikato Strategic Investment Fund project supports the development of the Biocultural Labels Initiative which focuses on how to practically encode Indigenous provenance information and cultural responsibilities into research data, including Digital Sequence Information (DSI) for genetic resources. This initiative provides a practical application of Indigenous data sovereignty principles to issues of access and benefit-sharing for genetic resources.

This internship project focuses on the development of Traditional Knowledge (TK) licenses. Unlike current Creative Commons licenses, TK licenses create the possibility for collective ownership and authority. They also have capacity to incorporate cultural protocols and expectations around future use of traditional knowledge.

While the TK Labels are an innovation in the field of intellectual property law, we anticipate that the TK Licenses will extend this work to create a legally binding strategy for communities to maintain control and authority over important traditional knowledge that is shared in research and commercial contexts.

This internship project focuses on the development of a model data sovereignty agreement for tribal users of Traditional Knowledge Labels and Biocultural Labels within the Local Contexts Hub. This will involve drafting an agreement will allow outline key IDSov principles around the use of data within the Local Contexts Hub. It will explain the authorised uses of the Traditional Knowledge and Biocultural Label icons used by Iwi, making clear the rights that each Iwi retains over the unique text that accompanies their labels.

The Moana Project is an MBIE-funded programme led by MetService to improve our understanding of coastal ocean circulation, connectivity and marine heatwaves to provide information that supports sustainable growth of the seafood industry (Māori, fisheries and aquaculture).

Project partners will build bridges to ensure this new knowledge informs regional marine policy and management. TKRI leads the He Papa Moana research theme which anchors the project in mātauranga Māori, facilitating exchange of oceanographic knowledge between Te Ao Māori and western science in collaboration with Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board.

This MBIE-funded project led by Plant & Food Research aims to accelerate plant breeding using gene-editing technologies. TKRI is leading the research aim developing the  co-innovation interface which explores Māori perspectives on gene-editing and the potential for gene-editing tools to contribute to Māori outcomes.

The Minderoo Foundation funds the ENRICH Global Chairs Initiative which supports Indigenous and allied scholars to undertake three months of network building, outreach and ENRICH vision initiatives within their national and regional contexts. The ENRICH Global Chairs will also build infrastructure for regional hubs through engagements and topic-based workshops, talks with researchers, agencies and communities.

The ENRICH Global Chairs for 2020/2021 are Professor Maggie Walter (University of Tasmania) and Associate Professor Jane Anderson (New York University). Assistant Professor Stephanie Carroll (University of Arizona) and Associate Professor Maui Hudson (University of Waikato) are designated Global Chairs for 2021. The Minderoo Foundation funds two Global Chairs annually (2020-2024).