Definitions of Māori data sovereignty acknowledged by the MWC
As stated by Te Mana Raraunga (2018): Māori data refers to information or knowledge in a digital or digitizable form that is for, about or from Māori peoples and our environments, regardless of who collects, manages or uses it.
Māori rights and interests in data derive from their inherent rights as Indigenous peoples, and unique relationships with the land, water and the natural world. These rights are validated through constitutional frameworks recognised in Ao/NZ such as He Whakaputanga, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) (Te Mana Raraunga, 2018).
Māori data sovereignty emphasizes the inherent rights and interests Māori in relation to the creation, collection, access, analysis, interpretation, management, dissemination, re-use and control of data relating to Māori, whānau, hapū, iwi and Māori organisations as guaranteed in Article II of Te Tiriti/Treaty of Waitangi (Taiuru, 2020). This includes the need to implement robust data governance mechanisms to ensure that the data is used responsibly, avoiding potential harm or exploitation (Lilley et al).
References
Te Mana Raraunga. (2018). Principles of Māori Data Sovereignty. Retrieved from TMR+Māori+Data+Sovereignty+Principles+Oct+2018.pdf (auckland.ac.nz)
Lilley, S., Oliver, G., Cranefield, J., & Lewellen, M. (2024). Māori data sovereignty: Contributions to data cultures in the government sector in New Zealand. Information, Communication & Society, 1-16. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2024.2302987
Taiuru, K. (2020). Māori Data Sovereignty and Digital Colonisation Treaty of Waitangi overview. Retreived from Māori Data Sovereignty and Digital Colonisation - Taiuru & Associates Ltd
Hudson, M., Beaton, A., Milne, M., Port, W., Russell, K., Smith, B., & Wilcox, P. (2016). Te Mata Ira: Guidelines for Genomic Research with Māori: