Te Pā Raraunga: The Development of a Data Governance Model for Ngāti Hauiti

Area of Science:

• Indigenous Data Sovereignty
• Māori Health Research
• Tribal Data Governance

Background:

• Ngāti Hauiti established Whakauae Research Services Ltd. in 2005, Aotearoa's first tribally-owned health research centre.
• Whakauae focuses on building research capacity and conducting Māori-centred health research to improve Māori outcomes.
• The emergence of Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Governance frameworks has prompted Whakauae to enhance its data stewardship approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the initial development of a Māori Data Governance model.
• To serve as a case study for organizations working with Māori data, particularly tribal data.
• To strengthen data stewardship within Ngāti Hauiti and inform future data governance initiatives.

Main Methods:

• Mapping the Ngāti Hauiti data ecosystem.
• Co-developing the Te Pā Raraunga governance model with a cultural advisor.
• Utilizing tribal knowledge and the metaphor of a pā tūwatawata (fortified village) to represent data governance components.

Main Results:

• A Māori Data Governance model, Te Pā Raraunga, was developed.
• The model visually represents key data governance aspects through the pā tūwatawata metaphor.
• The process highlighted the importance of mapping data ecosystems and co-development.

Conclusions:

• Developing internal capacity and collective understanding are crucial for successful data governance enactment.
• The Te Pā Raraunga model provides a framework for organizations embarking on data governance journeys.
• Socialization and implementation of the model are key next steps for Whakauae and Ngāti Hauiti.