Māori Design Group

We have established a Māori Design Group to strengthen our capability and understanding of Te Ao Māori while building impactful relationships and partnerships with Māori stakeholders. We acknowledge InternetNZ’s history as an organisation grounded in Te Ao Pākehā, and we are committed to establish and maintain connections between Te Ao Māori and Te Ao Pākehā in the context of the Internet, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. 

Our Māori Design Group will begin to help shape our development — in the work we do, the ways we engage with Māori, how we tackle challenges of structural racism, how we incorporate Te Ao Māori into our work — and no doubt in many more ways as well. 

Some of their key tasks will be to co-design our approach to dealing with important issues and challenges facing Māori and the Internet, such as structural racism, Internet access and the appropriation of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori. 

Members of the InternetNZ | Ipurangi Aotearoa Māori Design Group:

• Co-Chair - Prof. Sir Pou Temara KNZM, CNZM
• Co-Chair - Aleisha Amohia
• Member - Jo Maraki
• Member - Hone Paul
• Member - Whetu Fala

The group’s first meeting was held Thursday 7 October 2021. 

The nexus of skills, qualifications and experiences within the Māori Design Group is substantial.   

• Mātauranga Māori (Tikanga, Kawa, Te Reo),  
• software development and digital technology,  
• governance and executive leadership roles (Waitangi Tribunal, Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision  National Media Archives, Māori Television and other Māori and non-Māori organisations), 
• leadership and professorship roles in academic settings (mainstream and Wānanga),  
• creative (radio, theatre, film and television),  
• communications, marketing, strategy,  
• social policy, service design, facilitation, 
• research and evaluation,  
• strong networks and professional relationships across Māori, government, digital communication, community and voluntary sector.

Terms of reference: 

The terms of reference for the group were adopted by our Council in May 2021. You can find it in our document library on our website.  

Acknowledging our organisation’s history and track record in this area — connecting with and understanding Te Ao Māori — is vital. We cannot serve the diverse communities of Aotearoa and meet their needs effectively without change.