Data is power – but whose power?

Kirikowhai Mikaere (Tūhourangi, Ngāti Whakaue) is unequivocal about the strategic value of data: “It is probably the biggest economic asset in the world.” And yet, in Aotearoa New Zealand, she says, “we do not invest enough in our systems or in our people. I think we have very limited data and digital literacy – full stop.”

As Chair of the Tūhourangi Tribal Authority, a director of Waimangu Volcanic Valley, lead technical advisor to the National Iwi Chairs Forum – Data Iwi Leaders Group, and Aho Tapu at Te Kāhui Raraunga, Mikaere is a driving force behind Māori data sovereignty and governance. Her mission? To shift the conversation from control to opportunity.

“Māori data sovereignty is about the rights of Māori to have control, ownership, access and use of their data. But essentially, it’s about Māori data in Māori hands – so that we can make more informed governance decisions.”

Mikaere believes organisations frequently misinterpret Māori data sovereignty as a restriction. “Whereas actually, if we think about it more laterally and strategically, it’s a distinction in a global market.”

She says the real power lies in embedding context. “You get the most value from data by knowing the context. That’s why Māori data sovereignty is important – we know our context better than anybody.”

Boards that fail to consider the sovereignty and provenance of data run major risks. Mikaere warns that a lack of contextual knowledge in data collection – and therefore in artificial intelligence (AI) – could embed bias at scale.

“People think there’s no bias in data. There is incredible bias in data. And so the risk is developing more efficient bias.”

The solution, she says, lies in building a more ethical digital future from the ground up – starting with governance. “If a tool is free, then you’re the product. We have to adapt AI to our context, to our country. And that’s about critical thinking – understanding what we’re collecting, how it’s being used and by whom.”

Boards should not be passive consumers of technological innovation. Instead, they should actively engage with the ethical and strategic implications of the systems they endorse.

Mikaere points to the Māori Data Governance Model – and its associated auditing tool – as an example of how indigenous-led frameworks can lead on the global stage.

“We’ve just released an AI governance framework, aligned with our Māori data governance model. Both are world-leading, and they embed ethics – which is not necessarily what’s happening worldwide.”

International attention is growing. Earlier this year, Mikaere spoke at UN Innovations Day in Istanbul and was previously invited to speak at the International Conference on Machine Learning, where global tech leaders – including Microsoft and Apple – told her they had “missed some voices” and “forgot to embed ethics” over the last 40 years of machine learning development.

For Mikaere, the challenge for boardrooms is not just about understanding data as an operational issue – it’s about treating it as a matter of strategy and long-term continuity.

“I think it's important for governors to have data and digital strategies. We need to bring a similar kind of due diligence to the data and digital space as we do to finance.”

She calls on boards to actively question their data practices: What data are we collecting? Who is it for? What are we doing with it? Does it reflect the people it is about – or the people it is meant to serve?

“A lot of the current data collection is not really for us; it’s about us. If people could tweak things, we could get greater use out of it.”

Mikaere’s closing message is a call to action for directors across sectors – private, public, iwi and community.

“We have an obligation as leaders and governors to think critically about what digital platform we’re building for future generations. We need to make sure Aotearoa is still uniquely Aotearoa in all we say and do.”

That platform, she says, must be built with data sovereignty, context and continuity in mind.

“Ultimately, for us, it’s about the collective consciousness of indigenous peoples, centred on tikanga.”

Kirikowhai Mikaere (Tūhourangi, Ngāti Whakaue)

For directors, that means asking the right questions at the board table – not just about cost and efficiency, but about provenance, ethics and purpose.

“The question is not will AI transform Aotearoa – it’s how will it?” she says. “Māori data sovereignty ensures that we own the narrative. That we contextualise the data. That we are designers of our future – not victims of someone else’s design.”