Weaving Māori Hearts in the Digital Wharenui: Nurturing Whakawhanaungatanga Through a Kaupapa Māori Social Media Platform - Tōku Whānau.

Project Summary 

Social media platforms enable people to connect, communicate, and stay informed.  However, they are also off-shore repositories of ‘Big Data’ in an open data environment, which poses a significant threat towards Māori Data Sovereignty (MDSov) – the recognition that data should be subject to Māori governance.  One solution towards realising MDSov is to build Māori-governed IT applications.  A test version of a Māori social media platform – Tōku Whānau – has been developed by Māori with the objective to provide kaupapa Māori content that caters to Māori communities’ aspirations. 

The project will explore the research question: What would a kaupapa Māori based social media platform for Māori communities and whānau look and feel like?  

The research will involve engaging with a specific Māori community through wānanga/whakawhiti kōrero in order to ascertain the key elements required to develop it into a more Māori-specific and -friendly platform. The findings will directly inform the feasibility elements of the platform for further testing and refinement, with the view for a full public launch of the application.  The project anticipates that the development of Tōku Whānau will also be a major step towards further realising MDSov by understanding the enablers and barriers to advance Māori aspirations in the world of IT and Big Data.

Lead Researcher

Moana Rarere, Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Kahungunu, Tūhoe, Ngāti Whare, Whakatōhea,  University of Waikato.

Research Team

BJ Walbaekken, Waikato-Tainui, Mana Digital