About
He whata kai, he whata kōrero, inā he māramatanga
A whata is a non-carved storehouse of sustenance and can refer to a platform to display the hakari following a long deliberation by a group about the future. It provides us with the analogy for Te Whata, this website, to represent the importance of data as a tool for deliberation, sustenance and wellbeing.
Te Whata is a data platform tailored specifically by iwi for iwi – by us for us. Te Whata is for iwi members, technicians and leaders – designers and users of data. We want to be able to tell our own narratives according to our own priorities and world views. Te Whata has been designed with this in mind.
As designers of data, Te Whata allows Iwi Information Managers to input and align iwi strategy and goals with key indicators, providing a picture and narrative that is relevant to the dynamics and needs of each iwi. These indicators can be configured to provide a coherent picture according to the different priorities of each iwi. Iwi control what this looks like and how it is configured.
As users of data, we want data that we can use to make decisions for our people. Te Whata gathers iwi data from multiple sources into one place to tell our story in ways that are relevant to our own contexts. For our leaders, it provides brief snapshots of the data and what it means – a quick reference point for leaders who are short on time, but require informed soundbites for governance meetings or elevator pitch to interested parties. For technical users of data, it provides more detailed data, charts and tables. These can be used for hui-a-iwi, public meetings or annual reports on key information, or to assist with planning on key issues facing your iwi. For iwi members, it can provide an overview, dashboard or picture of the current state of the iwi.
Often we find that data is organised and presented in ways that do not tell our stories and realities. Te Whata allows us to shift data narratives so that iwi can tell their data stories and to gather insights for critical conversations with decision-makers.
Te Whata is currently in its early stages of development. We believe there are greater opportunities and functionality that can be built into the platform over the coming years.
Who are we
Te Whata was designed by Te Kāhui Raraunga Charitable Trust (TKR). TKR was established in 2019 to undertake mahi on behalf of the Data Iwi Leaders Group (Data ILG). TKR’s aim is to enhance the social, cultural, environmental, and economic well-being of Māori; to enable iwi, hapū and whānau Māori to access, collect and use Māori data to measure and identify areas of Māori well-being requiring change; to support innovation and research that advances the use of Māori data; to educate Māori on the benefits of collection and use of Māori data; and to promote and advance opportunities for iwi, hapū and whānau Māori to share knowledge and information relating to collection and use of Māori data.
The Data ILG was originally established in 2016 in response to the increasing need for iwi to better harness the potential of data to enable iwi development and to advance data and digital kaupapa with the Crown. Data ILG aims to ensure full, free access and control over data about and for iwi, to empower iwi development.
Presently, the Data ILG consists of six governance representatives from Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Te Ranga Tupua, Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Korokii-Kahukura and Ngāpuhi. Four of these representatives are trustees on the TKR Board.
Acknowledgements to our sponsors and collaborators
Te Whata is the copyright of Te Kāhui Raraunga Charitable Trust, which owns all copyright and all intellectual property rights in this website (see general terms and conditions).
Te Whata initial development was resourced by StatsNZ as part of the Mana Ōrite relationship agreement with Data ILG and Te Kāhui Raraunga Charitable Trust.
Te Whata was built by the talented teams at Octave and DotLovesData, who carefully crafted Te Whata to our data needs and specifications.
We would like to thank the following organisations which kindly contributed data to this platform: StatsNZ, The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health.
We are already working with other agencies and organisations to add further datasets to Te Whata. We will add these to the updates page as they go live.
Contact us
Please contact [email protected] if you have questions about any matters relating to the Te Whata website.