Maori Data Strategy
Through the work of producing the Māori Value reports, we identified several data challenges that exist at local and central government level. This is what has informed the development of the Data Issues of Significance Report 2019 which provides guidance for partners and stakeholders in their data management and planning.
Data Issues of Significance Report
Houkura has a clear mandate to act in the local and regional landscape of data leadership – in particular to provide advice on where investment is needed in areas that are deficient. There are also opportunities for strategic Tiriti-based partnerships with Crown agencies in order to address areas of shared interest. These can be done through mechanisms such as:
primary data collection to populate priority indicators;
the development of tools and capability training, and;
Māori data governance arrangements.
The advice and advocacy we carry out is based on the understanding that information on Māori wellbeing requires relevant and reliable data which means improving the design, collection and stewardship of Māori data.
In the Data Issues of Significance Report 2019, three main data challenges are addressed:
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Measuring and monitoring wellbeing from a Te Ao Māori view requires data collection methods and measurements that are fit for purpose. To enable this, local government must build their capability on how to engage with Māori and how to appropriately integrate Māori values in government decision-making. This may include the development of critical toolkits and techniques that enable staff to apply a Māori lens to their research and policy analysis.
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Administrative and survey data for Māori and iwi populations are generally difficult to access at the regional and local level, despite Tāmaki Makaurau having the country’s largest Māori population. Further, data at lower levels, such as local board level, is often neither available nor collected. Māori in Tāmaki Makaurau need to be supported by planning which is based on relevant and reliable data.
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The Board supports initiatives on data management and integration, provided that such strategies are developed based on a realisation of a Treaty partnership with Māori. All data activities should be within a Treaty framework. This involves an understanding of the social and cultural licenses to operate in an ethically appropriate way, where data sovereignty, integrity and safety are critical points.
The Board believes there is great opportunity for stakeholders at central and local level to collaborate on practical solutions to ensure a greater emphasis on Māori culture and to bridge the Te Ao Māori indicators gap.