Māori Data Sovereignty: A Decade of Research, Practice and Policy.

Abstract

The Māori Data Sovereignty (MDSov) movement advocates for Māori rights and interests in data and works to ensure that Māori data supports Māori aspirations. The language of MDSov has now been used for a decade, as conceptualised in Aotearoa by Te Mana Raraunga, the Māori data sovereignty network and globally through the Global Indigenous Data Alliance. To mark this decade, this special issue takes stock of developments within MDSov and how researchers have implemented these principles in diverse disciplines and science. In this review, we take stock of the movement, reflecting on its constitutional and historical underpinnings, and how Te Mana Raraunga came to exist. We then describe the major themes of the special issue: that the concept of MDSov is now well established and is increasingly being applied in frameworks across new issues and subject areas to benefit equity; that hapū and Iwi are implementing these frameworks in useful ways and that technical solutions are an exciting space for further innovation. Finally, we look ahead to the next decade and the challenges (and opportunities) of extending the movement across groups and where it might become appropriation; to artificial intelligence and to evolution in the data ecosystem, such as changes to the census. Taken together, this review shows that MDSov is widely used, with a wide range of researchers implementing its principles, and that it provides methods and ideas to move data and research in Aotearoa New Zealand forward into the future.