Why This Thesis Matters

Every research journey begins with a spark — sometimes a question, sometimes a frustration, and sometimes a quiet feeling that something important isn’t being seen, heard, or understood. For me, this thesis was born from all three.

As Māori, as storytellers, as language carriers, we know that our narratives are living taonga. They carry whakapapa, memory, identity, and the futures we dream into being. And yet, as artificial intelligence rapidly expands its reach, our stories risk being reshaped, misrepresented, or duplicated by systems that don’t understand the tikanga that holds them together.

I wanted to explore that tension.
I wanted to ask: How do we make sure Indigenous stories are protected, honoured, and by us — not for us?

This kaupapa comes at a time when AI is accelerating faster than regulation, ethical frameworks, or cultural safeguards can keep up. Everywhere I look—industry, government, education—people are reaching for AI tools without fully understanding the cultural stakes. Meanwhile, Māori talent, Māori enterprise, and Māori language remain underrepresented in the spaces shaping the digital future.

This research became my way of stepping into that gap.

Not to critique from the sidelines.
Not to warn about harm.
But to imagine something different — Indigenous‑led AI futures grounded in our values, our worldview, and our tikanga.

My thesis isn’t about building a tool.
It’s about understanding the ethical landscape.
It’s about the stories we tell and the systems that retell them.
It’s about the responsibility AI designers, researchers, and users have to Indigenous communities — and how we might do better.

I’m no longer at the beginning of this journey — I’m deep in the final sprint, and what stands out most is how tightly AI is woven into questions of power. As I approach the end, these tensions feel even sharper: Who gets to decide how our stories are shaped in digital spaces? Who holds authority over our data? Who draws the boundaries around Indigenous expression in AI systems? And what happens when those decisions are made without us, or outside the cultural frameworks that give our narratives meaning?

Over the next eight weeks, I want to keep myself accountable by taking people inside the mind of someone finishing a master’s thesis while also working full‑time in tech, being a mum, and being Māori. This isn’t about sharing my thesis itself — it’s about sharing the thinking, questioning, unlearning, and discovering that happens along the way. My hope is that opening up this journey will help spark wider conversations about Māori data, Māori language, Māori futures, and the role we can play in shaping ethical AI.

This thesis matters to me because our stories matter.
Our language matters.
Our future in the digital world matters.

And if we don’t shape the systems, the systems will shape us.