As the Ministry of Health builds a COVID-19 tracking app, Māori technologist Karaitiana Taiuru raises two important issues.
“I don’t know how particularly safe Māori data is at the moment," Taiuru says.
“There’s also the issues of who owns that Māori data."
Taiuru wrote a report suggesting how Māori data could and should be used. He notes that in the past, government initiatives designed to help minority groups have often been discriminatory and used in cultural assimilation. So there is a possibility that the data gathered by this app could be used for such purposes.
While this may not be a deliberate consequence, it occurs for a simple reason - the ethnic makeup of IT/Tech workers.
“The (computer) engineers are typically middle aged white men, who don’t have cultural experience and exposure.
“You’re only getting a middle aged white man’s view of the data. Without any considerations for anyone else.”
Taiuru quoted an example of driverless cars being unable to recognise people of colour. This was because white software engineers didn't programme the cars to recognise them.
The Treaty of Waitangi principles and the UN declaration of Indigenous rights, form the political foundation. Hirini Mead's tikanga test, and Mason Durie's whare tapawhā model formed the ao Māori foundation.
Taiuru explains why he used a health model to address data issues.
“Data does have a mauri and it can impact on peoples’ spiritual aspects," Taiuru says.
The report includes an ethical data model for Māori. While industry is welcome to use these guidelines as part of being good corporate citizens, the hope is that the NZ government will use them.