Given or taken? Storytelling and Māori data sovereignty

Raising the Bar

Given or taken? Storytelling and Māori data sovereignty by Kiri West

The Conservatory

Raising the Bar Auckland

Raising the Bar Auckland is back on Tuesday 26 August, 2025, with 20 free talks at 10 venues. 

Get your free tickets today and join us for a night of innovation and inspiration!

<h3>Talk Description</h3><p>Māori data sovereignty is increasingly cited as a key priority area across universities, corporate entities and governments. But despite a seemingly enthusiastic uptake of the concept among these major data players, it appears many Māori do not know what data sovereignty is or why it might matter for them. Explaining data sovereignty in overly academic language is also unlikely to shed light on the subject for those wanting to understand more.</p><p>In this talk, Dr Kiri West examines how we might conceptualise Māori data sovereignty in a way that is meaningful beyond the academic world. Join Kiri as she reflects on how storytelling and story-listening helped her to better understand the value of her mahi and be able to explain in real terms what data sovereignty might mean for herself and her whānau.</p><p><br></p><h3>Bio</h3><p>Dr Kiri West is an Indigenous researcher, kaupapa Māori theoriser, communication lecturer and reluctant storyteller. Her research background includes Māori data sovereignty, tikanga, and technology and research ethics. In an increasingly digitised world, she is interested in the ways in which we can give meaning to the above fields through the telling of our own stories.</p>

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}