Whāki Webinar Series: Principles of Safe Data Use

As part of our ongoing work with Te Kotahi Research Institute for the Tikanga in Technology: Indigenous approaches to transforming data ecosystems programme, we were invited to host the Whāki Webinar series in January. Four of our kaimahi gave a kōrero on how we apply principles of safe data use across our mahi at Nicholson Consulting.

Ben discussed our approach to safe data use for the Thriving Rangatahi mahi with Te Rourou, Vodafone Aotearoa Foundation, where we built an interactive digital tool that allows users to explore population-level data on rangatahi in Aotearoa. Ben discussed how we created Principles of Safe Use specific to this kaupapa that were guided by principles of Māori data sovereignty.

Former Data Scientist, Pip spoke to how we practically applied principles of Māori data sovereignty to He Ara Poutama mō te Reo Māori, a tool we built with Kōtātā Insights that forecasts the acquisition of te reo Māori in Aotearoa out to 2040. She discussed how our approach considered Māori data sovereignty throughout the whole process; from thinking about the whakapapa of the project, to whanaungatanga for the technical building of the model.

Ernestynne discussed our more recent mahi with Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, Te Mātātupu ki te Rautaki Raraunga, where we provided a whakaaro Māori perspective on data to inform the development of Ngā Taonga’s data strategy. Ernestynne offered practical tips on how to give life to Māori data sovereignty principles when creating a data strategy, and solutions to common pitfalls technologists face when working with data in this space.

Finally, our former Data Scientist Kiya, who is undertaking her Masters through a scholarship from Te Kotahi Research, reflected on her journey working at Nicholson Consulting as an undergraduate student and how this influenced her way of thinking about data. Kiya talked about how creating a culturally-safe workplace, and a willingness to do things differently as an organisation, was vital on her journey of learning to embed Māori data sovereignty principles and embracing te ao Māori as tangata Tiriti.

Want to hear this kōrero in more detail? You can watch the Whāki Webinar below! If you'd like to chat about any of the projects or topics discussed in more detail, don't hesitate to email: hello@nicholsonconsulting.co.nz