Microsoft enters ‘groundbreaking’ Māori data sovereignty deal that could have global implications
Te Tumu Paeroa (TTP), the office of the Māori Trustee, will serve as anchor tenants for Microsoft’s forthcoming data centres in Aotearoa New Zealand, a deal which could have global implications for indigenous data sovereignty.
Described as “groundbreaking”, the deal is based on TTP’s Māori data sovereignty framework, an ongoing development, into which the organisation has already invested three years of mahi.
Measured by market capitalisation, Microsoft is the world’s largest technology company, valued at NZ$5.264 trillion, and employs more than 220,000 people worldwide.
DDS IT will be responsible for the transfer of data from its current servers to the new cloud server centre.
Te Tumu Paeroa’s Kaitautari Pārongo Matua / chief information officer Ruth Russell.
Te Ao Māori News secured a interview with representatives from all three organisations, where Te Tumu Paeroa’s Kaitautari Pārongo Matua / chief information officer Ruth Russell described Māori data as a “taonga”, one which this agreement would protect in an increasingly globalising and digitising world.
“Anchor tenancy means for us we can get into the New Zealand north data centre early.
“We can therefore have the data for which we are kaitiaki hosted in Aotearoa. That’s important to us.”
In a statement, all three organisations said: “The agreement aims to better enable Te Tumu Paeroa to help landowners to connect more deeply with their whenua and enable faster recovery from major weather events, as well as support innovation on key issues such as climate change.”
Te Tumu Paeroa works with land owners, trustees and the Māori Land Court, and its service include trust administration, property management, distribution of income, grants and scholarships, developing business ventures based on the land, and client fund management.
How does this improve Māori data sovereignty?
The new cloud service will ensure data stored at the centre does not leave Aotearoa New Zealand’s sovereign borders.
Typically, cloud-based computing involves moving data through servers worldwide in response to demand for that data, but could mean data is stored on a server in a foreign nation when it’s not immediately needed.
Where this poses a notable risk to data security is the United States of America, where legislation like the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 allows the bulk collection of data which enters the US from a foreign source, such as New Zealand.
Ruth Russell says the deal takes that possibility off the table.
“One of the things that Microsoft offers is advanced data residency, which gives the confidence that your data resides in the territory you want it to reside in.”
Russell notes there are some exceptions under Te Tumu Paeroa’s framework, but says “keeping it in Aotearoa and not having to repatriate it at some time in the future is an important component of that, to recognise and acknowledge the sovereignty of that data, and the way we execute our kaitiakitanga over that data.”
Microsoft’s Dan Te Whenua Walker, partner development manager across Australia and Aotearoa, says some Māori are still in a space of uncertainty regarding the cultural implications of artificial intelligence (AI), but says there’s a massive opportunity here.
“In terms of the adoption of AI, it’s still early on in the journey.”
But he fully expects Te Tumu Paeroa’s framework to shepherd those opportunities through.
“That’s the exciting part. From the start, all the way through, it’s about making sure that it’s not us coming to them and saying, ‘this is what global’s doing, adopt this.’ It’s Te Tumu Paeroa saying, ‘this is what we want to do, how can you support us?’
“I’m just really excited about what this could unlock for us.”
Moving the data
DDS IT is responsible for migrating the data from its current servers to Microsoft’s cloud servers, and chief executive Simon Browne calls the announcement a “unique moment”.
“It’s been an incredible journey, to be perfectly honest, and something really unique for us to have experienced, and we’re loving being part of the whānau, part of the team with Te Tumu Paeroa.”
Data migration involves transferring data between locations, formats, or applications, when new systems or data storage practices call for it.
In this instance, the full transfer of data is expected to take between 12-to-24 months.
Browne says the new data centre will be the most sustainable data centre globally, from energy agreements, to considerations around design, to the very air conditioning required to maintain the servers.