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Sovereignty and Governance

Purpose​

This page explains how Māori data governance and Māori data sovereignty apply to geospatial data. It is written for people working with maps, layers, spatial databases, and visualisations that relate to Māori, whenua, taiao, and mātauranga Māori.

The focus is on authority, responsibility, and long term care rather than technical storage alone.

Māori data sovereignty in a GIS context​

Māori data sovereignty recognises that data about Māori is subject to Māori authority. This includes spatial data, attributes, metadata, imagery, and derived products such as maps and dashboards.

In GIS projects, this means:

  • Authority sits with iwi, hapū, or whānau connected to the data

  • Data has whakapapa and context, not just coordinates

  • Rights are collective as well as individual

  • Decisions continue over time, not only at project start

Where data is hosted does not remove these responsibilities.

Rangatiratanga and decision making​

Rangatiratanga in GIS means Māori determine:

  • What data is collected

  • Why it is collected

  • Who can access it

  • How it can be used

  • Whether it can be shared or published

These decisions should be explicit and documented, not assumed or inherited from default system settings.

Kaitiakitanga across the data lifecycle​

Kaitiakitanga applies from collection to archiving.

Good practice includes:

  • Clear rules for editing and versioning

  • Regular review of access permissions

  • Processes for retiring or deleting data

  • Planning for staff turnover and succession

  • Avoiding loss of knowledge when projects end

GIS systems should support these practices rather than override them.

Ownership, custodianship, and use​

These roles are often confused and should be separated.

  • Ownership relates to authority and control

  • Custodianship relates to day to day management

  • Use relates to a specific agreed purpose

One organisation may hold data as a custodian while authority remains elsewhere.

Licensing and conditions of use​

Standard open licences may not be appropriate for Māori spatial data.

Conditions may include:

  • No commercial use

  • No redistribution

  • Use limited to a defined kaupapa

  • Mandatory attribution to iwi or hapū

  • Review before reuse in new contexts

These conditions should be documented and visible to users.

Governance structures​

Strong governance includes:

  • Named data governors or kaitiaki

  • Clear escalation paths for decisions

  • Alignment with iwi or organisational governance

  • Regular review points

Governance supports good GIS practice rather than slowing it.