Honouring Te Tiriti

In January 2021, Dev Academy Aotearoa made steps to explore new ways of honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi, in ways which felt not only right, but vital. The role of general manager had only existed for 18 months at that point, but the leadership team saw an opportunity to expand the role into two important positions: one focused on Te Ao Māori, and one focused on Te Ao Pākehā.

Over the last year, one particular kaupapa (topic) has emerged strongly during the many conversations we had with industry — data sovereignty. We were excited to keep this kōrero going, though acutely aware of our limited knowledge and expertise in this field. So on a bright sunny day in August, we invited our industry connections to a panel discussion around the kaupapa of Māori Data Sovereignty.

On a crisp, wet autumn day in Pōneke Wellington, some of our Dev Academy team gathers at Fidel’s, one of our favourite breakfast cafes. We welcome our colleagues from Tāmaki Makaurau, who arrived on an early flight. With warm vibes of a big whānau reuniting, there is storytelling, healthy challenge, and lots of laughter around the table.

In January this year, an internal memo went out announcing that a new model of leadership had been in the works at Dev Academy — one that formally acknowledged a leader within the organisation and aligned with our values of treaty partnership. The leadership team now had two general managers: Dougal Stott, representing Te Ao Māori and Emma Barnes, representing Te Ao Pākehā.

On a sunny Wellington day, about 100 people gathered for Te Tiriti Meets Tech, Pōneke edition. With representation from across the tech sector, we gathered to explore what honouring Te Tiriti means for this group of people and the organisations they represent.