Feedback from the AI Forum Kāhui Māori on the proposed National AI Strategy.
April 20, 2025
Here are some potential gaps or perceived gaps from a Māori perspective on the draft AI Strategy
document:
1. Missing is the “Māori organisations innovating with AI and cultural IP” It would be good to
know which company and or to provide suggestions.
2. Images should be credited and the prompt cited for AI generated images.
3. It seems there's a bit of a gap in articulating just how the economic and social benefits of AI
are actually going to flow back to Māori, and how their taonga – including mātauranga Māori
and their data – will be properly looked after and not compromised or misappropriated. The
draft document mentions the potential good stuff for the Māori economy, but it doesn't go
into the nitty-gritty of how this will happen on the ground and what it will look like in terms
of deployment and implementation.
4. While Te Puni Kōkiri is doing some work on policy to sort out the commercialisation of
cultural IP and make sure Māori see the benefits, the strategy doesn't really give us the detail
on what these policies will look like or how Māori will be properly involved in shaping and
putting them into action. This lack of detail could be a real worry when it comes to Māori
being able to call the shots in this area and importantly maintaining a Māori community
voice.
5. Even though the strategy flags the risk to Māori data sovereignty, it doesn't lay out any
concrete plans to properly uphold and strengthen Māori control over their data as AI gets
developed and used. These plans for data sovereignty are crucial!
6. There is no consideration about a New Zealand Sovereignty of AI. If we want out country to
be leaders in AI and not just consumers of American/China AI, we should consider this.
7. Putting the development of policy for using cultural IP in AI in the "Now – 2026" timeframe
might not be suitable or appropriate for Māori. From my perspective, this work is urgent, and
Māori will want to see some robust engagement early on to make sure policies work and line
up with Māori values.
8. That potential review of copyright policy for AI from 2027 onwards might seem a fair way off,
and Māori could well push for getting involved much earlier and having a bigger say to sort
out those immediate worries about protecting cultural IP in the digital world.
9. There are a number of pieces of individual legislation that are outdates and need updating in
the policy environment. For example Digital Harms Act, all IP legislation, deep fakes, Crimes
Act, etc.
10. While the strategy talks about ethics in a general sense with AI, it doesn't specifically detail
how a Māori ethical framework will be woven into how AI is developed and rolled out. Just
relying on those OECD AI Principles might not be enough to cover specific Māori values and
tikanga.
11. When it comes to building up Kiwi/New Zealander skills, there's a lack of specific content
aimed at boosting AI capability within Māori communities, businesses, and Iwi. The focus
seems to be more on the general population and smaller businesses, which could leave
Māori lagging behind in getting the AI skills they need.
12. Looking at the Public Service AI work programme, there might be concerns about how much
Māori perspectives and needs are being specifically thought about and included in its six
main parts (governance, capability, social licence, etc.). Making sure AI used by government
is culturally appropriate and doesn't make existing inequalities worse would be a key
concern.
13. In the section about AI for better healthcare, there's no clear mention of Māori health equity
and how AI could be used specifically to tackle the health differences Māori experience
(often with disproportionate adverse impact). Making sure AI healthcare solutions are
culturally safe and accessible for Māori would be a top priority IMO.
14. In the area of research and development, there's no specific mention of bringing mātauranga
Māori into AI research or backing AI research led by Māori researchers that looks at issues
relevant to Māori communities. This could be seen as a missed chance to use unique Māori
knowledge and perspectives in the AI space and also to foster Māori innovation.
15. Pasifika and Disabled communities appear to be invisible.
