Te Kete o Karaitiana Taiuru (Blog)

Post Archive


  • Māori business self identification – end of racist profiling

    Stuff reported a story that Māori businesses will soon have the opportunity to self identify as Maori. For the first time, a national register will let companies say if they identify as a Māori business. A change to the National Business Number register will give Māori enterprises the option to record data that identifies them…

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  • Eroding tikanga of the hongi

    The recent introduction of kissing females on the cheek and ignoring the customary practice of a hongi creates a number of issues including the loss of tikanga and the real possibility of discriminating against people in our community. THe earliest written account in the South Island of Ngai Tahu of the traditional practice of the…

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  • Online learning and tikanga Māori

    This article is for Whānau, Māori: students, teachers and academics. The same principles can be applied to working remotely online. I have recently heard it stated that online learning is not tika, it is not right and that it is not our tikanga as our tikanga is kanohi ki kanohi, face to face. This article…

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  • Karakia or cultural appropriation

    This article is about karakia in post-colonial New Zealand and introduced religious influences that have changed Māori cultural beliefs and practices. This is not an article about religions and what religion is the more appropriate. Every person has a right to practice their own religious beliefs without hurting others or being hurt because of their…

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  • Waitangi Day 2020: Flag cultural faux pa

    The Christchurch City Council (CCC) and the Okains Bay Māori and Colonial Museum held their 45th Waitangi Day celebration with a citizenship ceremony at Opara (Okains Bay), Banks Peninsula, South Island. The Christchurch City Council and the Okains Bay Māori and Colonial Museum chose to ignore flying the national Māori flag recognised by the New…

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  • Indigenising knowledge of Telecommunications and Smart Phones

    The complete paper in a pdf format can be downloaded here. An introduction, explanation and indigenising of current day natural phenomena radio technologies that are used for technologies such as 3G, 4G and 5G for mobile phones and indigenises modern day smart phones. Then, the paper compares pre colonial communications and traditional knowledge to explain…

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  • Submission to the Law Commission: DNA in Criminal Investigations

    In 2019 the Law Commission called for public submissions regarding the Use of DNA in Criminal Investigations. This is my public submission and impacts on Māori culture and Tikanga Māori. Introduction What is a Taonga Why DNA is a Taonga C.1 Tikanga C.2 Traditional Knowledge Data Sovereignty of DNA samples Māori world view Recommendations References…

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  • DNA is a Taonga: A Customary Māori Perspective

    Introduction What is a Taonga Tikanga –Whakapapa – Mauri – Wairua Traditional Knowledge Loss of customary knowledge Data Sovereignty of DNA samples Digital Colonisation Tikanga Test Links of Interest References Download the paper in pdf Introduction This paper was originally written in direct response to the Law Commission’s public consultation (and forms a part of…

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  • Artificial Intelligence and Māori

    Artificial Intelligence and Māori

    I was interviewed to contribute a Māori perspective to the The Artificial Intelligence Forum of New Zealand (AIFNZ) inaugural report. It appears as though only my statement was published with no acknowledgements. In the whole report Māori is only considered in the  Part Three: AI and Society, Artificial Intelligence Shaping a Future New Zealand. The…

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  • Tikanga Māori considerations with digital apps

    Tikanga Māori considerations with digital apps

    This analysis uses two apps offered by Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and looks at their tikanga and privacy issues. The purpose of the article is to raise awareness of traditional knowledge being used to create new ideas to attract youth Māori to new initiatives such as education and being proud to be Māori. Their third…

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