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

Data have always been a taonga (treasure) for tribal communities, supporting aspirations and wellbeing. In 2005, Ngāti Hauiti established Aotearoa's first tribally-owned health research centre, Whakauae Research Services Ltd., to build research capacity among Ngāti Hauiti uri (descendants) and undertake high-quality, Māori-centred health research to improve outcomes for Māori. While data stewardship has always been important to Whakauae, the emergence of Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Indigenous Data Governance has enabled the organisation to further strengthen its approach. This article presents the early stages of developing a Māori Data Governance model as a case study for organisations working with Māori, especially tribal data. The process involved mapping Ngāti Hauiti's data ecosystem and then co-developing a governance model, Te Pā Raraunga, with a cultural advisor, informed by tribal knowledge. The model uses the metaphor of a pā tūwatawata (fort defended by a stockade), with each part representing a key aspect of data governance identified through the mapping exercise. The article further discusses the model's implementation and next steps for the socialisation of the model. Developing internal capacity and collective understanding are highlighted as necessary for Whakauae and Ngāti Hauiti's successful enactment of data governance, as well as for other organisations starting a data governance journey.