Name: Dr Karaitiana Taiuru JP, MInstD.
Title: AI, Data and Emerging Tech Ethicist and Governance, IP and Critical Indigenous Research Services
Primary Iwi affiliations: Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Toa.
Dr Taiuru is a leading authority and a highly accomplished visionary Māori technology ethicist specialising in Māori rights with AI, Māori Data Sovereignty and Governance with emerging digital technologies and biological sciences.
He brings extensive expertise in mātauranga, tikanga Māori, te Tiriti and advocacy for digital Māori rights and a profound understanding of the intersection between Māori knowledge and emerging technologies.
A professional director with membership with Institute of Directors, with roles including membership and Kahui Māori advisor of the New Zealand AI Forum, member and tangata whenua governor of the AI Researchers Association, invited member of the Expert panel on AI and healthcare for the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Scientific Advisor, a legislated expert member of the Intellectual Property Office (IPONZ) Trade Marks Advisory Committee and Ministry of Health Tikanga Expert on Assisted Reproduction, as well as many other governance appointments.
Dr Taiuru is also involved with numerous academic research projects and one Marsden Research project.
Quick Statistics of other voluntary contributions to Māori include:
49 Advisory groups and governance positions since 2000
> 13 Books, 5 Book Chapters, 7 Journal articles since 2015
> 98 Key notes and presentations at conferences and lectures since 2007
> 380 Blog posts since 2007
>22 Public submissions since 2002
> 577 Media interviews since 1998
>37 Software and Data packages since 1997
Genesis of a career with Technology
As a child, Karaitiana was immersed in traditional te Ao Māori with his grandparents who not only ensured he was a part of his Papatipu marae at Tuahiwi, but also surrounded with Kaumātua, Matenga and Tohunga within various marae such as Rata, Marton, Tūwharetoa, Waikato and with numerous Ngāi Tahu mare where topics such as Te Tiriti, Māori Social Justice and histories were often spoken of and debated.
While initially being immersed with te reo Māori, Dr Taiuru acknowledges his loss reo and of traditional syntax, but remains well versed with the poetic and allegoric stories that veiled traditional knowledge via te reo Māori. This was a beginning point for a lifelong passion for social justice.
Early Career
Dr Taiuru began his is career in the IT industry in 1995 after being disillusioned with a law qualification. His accomplishments saw many milestones for Māori language revitalisation including the first digital Māori Dictionary Te Reo Tupu (1998), Māori spell checkers Moana Kupu and a range of macron keyboard technologies (1998), Aua Kupu Ngāi Tahu tribal spell checker (1998), Māori ICT dictionaries, and a myriad of other Māori software.
A prolific writer, presenter, author of a number of guidelines and frameworks, and media commentator for more than 30 years, Dr Taiuru explores how traditional knowledge and emerging and current technologies align and meet current day ethics and modern day Māori needs.
In 2000, Karaitiana was both the leader and architect for the creation of the world’s first unmoderated Indigenous domain name <.maori.nz >, lobbyist for macrons (IDN) in the .nz DNS and has been the kaitiaki/moderator of New Zealand’s first moderated domain name .iwi.nz for Iwi in New Zealand since 2000. All which have provided Māori online an identify unique to Māori.
After spending several years part time studying New Zealand Intellectual Property Rights and Indigenous Knowledge Rights in Geneva with the intention of sitting the exam to become a Patent Attorney specialising in Māori Property Rights, Karaitiana remained upskilling and advocating for Māori with in the IT/tech/digital industry after noticing Māori were being colonised and losing their sovereign rights.
After gaining a Master’s Degree of Indigenous and Māori Leadership with Distinction at the University of Canterbury, he completed a PhD Doctorate “Tikanga Māori Sovereignty with Genetic Research” where he exposed both non Māori and Māori researchers for cultural unsafe practice’s, resulting in recommendations for safe engagement for Māori with heath and new Māori Data Sovereignty Principles which he used in the successful Waitangi Tribunal WAI 2522 claim (TPPA) against the Crown arguing the Māori Data is a Taonga and in the Plant Varieties Regime WAI 2522 Claim.
Dr Taiuru has completed numerous international ethics courses including from University of Edinburgh, University of Michigan, Georgia Tech, Georgetown University and a myriad others. Combining western ethics and Māori traditional knowledge allows Dr Taiuru to write about and practice Māori AI and Data Ethics which are unique to and benefit Māori.