A kōrero with Elle Archer from Te Ao Matihiko

Te Ao Matihiko 

Te Ao Matihiko aims to increase Māori representation in the digital and tech industry, drive positive systemic changes for Māori, and offer support and inspiration to rangatahi as they embark on their journey in the field. Their vision is to have Te Ao Māori interwoven within the digital realm.

We are proud to have them as one of our valued partners. Through our rangapū | partnership, we support their kaupapa, and they help us reach and fund more Māori in tech so that we can move closer to our goal of being a Te Tiriti o Waitangi centric organisation.

Within Te Ao Matihiko sits Te Matarau and Te Hapori Matihiko. Te Matarau (Research | Policy | Pathways) serves as a dynamic hub for strategic networking and collaboration among Māori professionals in the technology sector. Formerly known as The Māori Tech Association, Te Matarau is this entity cultivates a nurturing environment where Mātauranga and technological expertise are exchanged freely, ensuring members feel secure and supported in sharing their knowledge and innovations. Te Hapori Matihiko (Engage | Connect | Amplify | Cultivate) focuses on deepening community engagement and enhancing educational opportunities. It orchestrates impactful events and learning sessions that elevate Māori presence and excellence in the digital realm. Notably, it hosts the annual Matihiko Awards, a celebration of exceptional Māori achievements in technology, reinforcing its commitment to promoting and supporting community-driven digital excellence.

Together, these entities drive transformative changes and foster lasting intergenerational impacts.

A kōrero with Elle Archer

We sat down to kōrero with Elle Archer, Executive Board Chair of Te Ao Matihiko, and recently named Inspiring Individual 2024. She is a powerhouse in the Aotearoa Internet community and wears many hats. She reflected on what drives her and where she derives hope during uncertain times.

"When I walk into a room, I want to be holding the door open, to make sure I'm teaching others, so that the next generation can come in. I spend a lot of my time working with young people, rangatahi, and I see that hope is the most important thing. When a species loses hope, it dies. We must continue to inspire and work for people, the planet and purpose. All of us who serve need to inspire, by our stories and our perspectives. There is light in dark places. We need to take action to support youth and rangatahi to come up. I do a lot of training with them especially around governance. It’s also about how we treat our elders, our sick, and our disabled. We will be judged on these things, and right now, it wouldn’t be a good judgement. I’m happy to have an impact on people I will never meet. If I'm helping to weave a tapestry I will never get to see, I am at peace with that."

We talked about what she hopes to achieve and the role of Te Ao Matihiko in Aotearoa.

"My philosophy is about unification, interconnected between all my work across different sectors. It’s multidimensional leadership mahi. Te Ao Matihiko doesn’t really have a competitor, but we have a lot of allies."

Elle also actively engages with indigenous tech leaders around the world. By understanding the various global, socio, political and economic trends there are opportunities to learn from each other and look to the future.

"It's a global whanau. Some are further along than us and some are way way behind. It feels like we are at a precipice."  

The response has been overwhelming. 

"We thought it would take a lot longer to build membership than what it has. We have broken every single target we set for ourselves. And with this current coalition Government, our kaupapa has become even more important. It was important before, but even more important now. We’ve come now to understand our role in advocating for Indigenous people in tech and what our role is with the rest of the collective."

InternetNZ | Ipurangi Aotearoa

Each year, we use profits from the sale of .nz domain names to provide community funding. That means anyone who has a website ending in .nz contributes to the amazing positive public impact work that happens because of this funding. Find out more about this pūtea and discover our other rangapū| partners.