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Research Data Management: Te Mana Raraunga | Māori Data Sovereignty

Information about research data management plans and how to create one

As an institution committed to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi, we take seriously our responsibility to support Māori self-determination. In a research context, this can look like the responsible management of any data about, from or by Māori and upholding the tenets of Māori data sovereignty. This means recognising that Māori data should be subject to Māori governance and control. Communities involved in your research should have input into how your data is stored, managed, or accessed. 

In this section we explore some of the ways that researchers can engage ethically and responsibly with Māori data. 

Data storage

As Māori/Indigenous data sovereignty perceives data as being subject to the laws of the nation in which it is collected and stored, best practice is to store Māori data locally here in Aotearoa New Zealand.  

Cloud storage services are most often based outside of New Zealand, this means that any data stored on the cloud could potentially be subject to overseas law and would not be considered secure (from a Māori data sovereignty perspective). We advise researchers to store Māori data on a local server in addition to your personal devices. If you have particularly large datasets, you can contact ITS to request additional server storage. 

Data sharing

Depending on the discipline, it may be standard practice for an academic journal to require its contributing authors to publish their research data alongside their findings. While we support data sharing in principle, there may be instances when it is not appropriate or ethical to make your data completely open and accessible to the public. It is crucial that data about or from Indigenous communities is managed by researchers in such a way that those communities are still able to exercise governance over how the data is used. However, there are some alternative practices that can be employed where you can signal the potential availability of your data while still supporting Indigenous governance of that information. Below are some practical steps that can be taken in this situation: 

  • Publish a description or metadata-only record of research data in a data repository with citable DOIs for research (DOI). This enables others to discover and understand the applicability of the research data. Consider a meaningful name (e.g. avoid 'Thesis data'), appropriate metadata, and providing a sample of the data, actual or synthetic. 

  • Establish and maintain a mediated access process (e.g. email request or form) linked to the published description. This process should follow agreed governance processes and ideally, take a people and purpose-oriented approach to granting access. 

  • Create a data sharing agreement to define and record who the data is shared with, for what purpose, under what conditions (e.g. method of transfer, security requirements) and by whose authority (governance). 

  • Produce a data availability statement within the publication (e.g. journal article, thesis) linking to the description, possibly referencing the mediated access process and alignment with FAIR, CARE and Māori Data Sovereignty data principles. 

Source: ResearchHub 

Māori Data Governance Model

While there are many useful frameworks that can guide you in the use, handling, and management of Indigenous data, Te Iho o Te Manawataki | Library recommends drawing on locally produced resources that more fully reflect the needs and values of Māori communities here in Aotearoa. Te Kāhui Raraunga’s Māori Data Governance Model is one such resource. Te Kāhui Raraunga (TKR) is an independent body established in 2019 to lead the action required to realise the advocacy of the Data Iwi Leaders Group. As such, they carry a mandate from many of the mana whenua communities throughout Aotearoa (including Waikato iwi and hapū). 

The Māori Data Governance Model has been designed by Māori data experts for use across the Aotearoa New Zealand public service. Māori data is a taonga that requires culturally grounded models of protection and care. The Model provides guidance for the system-wide governance of Māori data, consistent with the Government’s responsibilities under te Tiriti o Waitangi. The Model is intended to assist all agencies to undertake Māori data governance in a way that is values-led, centred on Māori needs and priorities, and informed by research (TKR, Māori Data Governance Model, vi). 

Figure 1: The Māori Data Governance Model (Te Kāhui Raraunga). For more information on how to use the model, click the link in the paragraph above.

Need Help?

For assistance, reach out to the Open Research Team at library@waikato.ac.nz.