TE ŌHANGA MAURI - PRIORITY #7 - RECLAIM OUR DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY

In the modern world, data is the new whenua (land). However, Taitokerau currently faces a "Second Wave of Colonisation" in the digital space. Global tech corporations are scraping Māori language, stories, and knowledge—what we call "Digital Flesh"—to train their AI models without our consent or even asking. This strips our knowledge of its Mauri and its connection to our people. 

At the same time, we face a "Digital Divide". Many of our whānau in the North have slower internet and less access to technology, which keeps us locked in the physical economy while the rest of the world moves into the digital future. We believe that our data is a taonga (treasure) to be stewarded, not a commodity to be stolen.