Te Kahui Raraunga

What Te Kahui Raraunga does

Te Kāhui Raraunga Charitable Trust (TKR) is an independent Māori charitable trust established in 2019 and headquartered in Rotorua, New Zealand, operating as the legal entity of the Data Iwi Leaders Group. It develops iwi-Māori data platforms, governance frameworks, and capability programmes designed to enable iwi, hapū and whānau Māori to access, collect and use Māori data for mana motuhake (self-determination) decisions. TKR's primary customer base spans iwi and Māori organisations (free service), plus Aotearoa New Zealand public service agencies engaging on data sovereignty; anchor institutional partners are Statistics NZ and the Department of Internal Affairs under formal Mana Ōrite Relationship Agreements.

The technology surface combines a customisable census and iwi-affiliation data platform (Te Whata at tewhata.io), a first-of-its-kind decentralised Māori-owned data storage network (Te Pā Tūwatawata, S3-compatible, end-to-end encrypted, hosted on marae and iwi enterprises), and two governance frameworks: the Māori Data Governance Model (May 2023, eight pou covering collection through classification, co-designed with 16 Crown agencies) and the Māori AI Governance Framework (October 2025, extending the model to AI systems and proposing an Algorithm Charter overhaul). Te Mana Whakatipu, an umbrella capability programme, bundles He Ara Pūkeko apprenticeships (13 completions), He Raranga Muka NZ$10,000 scholarships, and He Aho Kura Whākina Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) training.

The business model is that of a non-profit funded through government partnership contracts and Mana Ōrite agreements rather than commercial sales; Te Whata access is free for iwi members and information managers, Te Pā Tūwatawata operates by expression-of-interest onboarding, and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct and domestic-only — field engagement with iwi and Crown agencies, supplemented by organic social channels, the kahuiraraunga.io website, and educational video content. Management is led by Chairman Rahui Papa with Lead Technical Advisor Kirikowhai Mikaere, Kaiwhakahaere Kerri-Anne Hancock, Principal Advisor (Digital) Erena Mikaere, and Data Program Manager Roimata Timutimu; headcount sits in the 11–50 range.

Name

Te Kahui Raraunga

Legal name

Te Kāhui Raraunga Charitable Trust

Website

https://kahuiraraunga.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Te Kāhui Raraunga Charitable Trust, established 2019 in Rotorua, develops iwi-Māori data platforms (Te Whata, Te Pā Tūwatawata), governance frameworks, and capability programmes to enable Māori data sovereignty for iwi, hapū and Crown agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotorua

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Charitable Trust Operations: Te Kāhui Raraunga is a charitable trust established in 2019. Revenue appears to come from government partnerships and agreements rather than commercial product sales. The organisation focuses on capability building and data sovereignty for Māori rather than commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Te Kāhui Raraunga builds iwi-Māori data platforms, governance frameworks, and capability programmes that enable iwi, hapū and whānau Māori to access, collect, and use Māori data. Core offerings include Te Whata (a customisable iwi data platform providing 2023 Census insights), Te Pā Tūwatawata (a decentralised Māori-owned data storage network), the Māori Data Governance Model, the Māori AI Governance Framework, and Te Mana Whakatipu capability-building initiatives.

Product overview

Te Kāhui Raraunga offers a suite of data governance, technology infrastructure, and capability-building products. The core platform is Te Whata, a by-iwi for-iwi data platform for accessing Census and iwi-specific insights. Te Pā Tūwatawata provides decentralised, sovereign data storage infrastructure. These are supported by the Māori Data Governance Model and Māori AI Governance Framework which establish culturally grounded governance principles. Te Mana Whakatipu programme encompasses capability-building initiatives including He Ara Pūkeko (apprenticeship), He Raranga Muka (scholarships), and He Aho Kura Whākina (IDI training).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Te Whata: A customisable data platform built by iwi for iwi to support mana motuhake decisions. Accessible at tewhata.io.
• Te Pā Tūwatawata
• Māori Data Governance Model
• Māori AI Governance Framework
• Te Mana Whakatipu

Products and services

• Te Whata A customisable data platform built by iwi for iwi to support mana motuhake decisions; primary platform for releasing 2023 Census iwi affiliation and Māori descent data, providing insights on household size, housing quality, income, and whānau structure. Built for Iwi Information Managers, Trustees, CEOs, managers and Iwi Māori Partnership Board kaimahi.
• Te Pā Tūwatawata A decentralised, iwi-designed, Māori-owned data storage network providing end-to-end encryption of data both in transit and at rest. Fully S3-compatible and 100% New Zealand-owned, with infrastructure scaling from marae-level to enterprise-grade for marae, hapū, iwi and Māori organisations.
• Māori Data Governance Model A culturally grounded model for the system-wide governance of Māori data designed by Māori data experts for use across the Aotearoa New Zealand public service. Consists of eight pou (principles) covering data capacities, infrastructure, collection, protection, access, use, quality, and classification.
• Māori AI Governance Framework A comprehensive framework extending the Māori Data Governance Model to address challenges and opportunities presented by AI systems. Provides safeguards against bias, discrimination, and systemic harm; calls for Algorithm Charter overhaul and an independent monitoring body. Treats AI as 'Data-Driven Intelligence' requiring culturally grounded governance.
• He Ara Pūkeko Iwi-Māori data apprenticeship programme building data capability and capacity. Nine-month intensive programme developing data analysis skills, mātauranga Māori application, and tirohanga Māori within data. Apprentices produce bespoke research for their iwi. First cohort of eight apprentices; 13 apprentices completed the programme.
• He Raranga Muka Scholarships $10,000 scholarships supporting tauira Māori in data science programmes. Part of Te Mana Whakatipu programme with iwi endorsement requirements and knowledge-sharing obligations for recipients.
• He Aho Kura Whākina

Quantifiable outcome

• 46.3% average increase in iwi affiliation populations captured between 2013 and 2023 Census
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Department of Internal Affairs (DIA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2021Mana Ōrite Relationship Agreement between Data Iwi Leaders Group and DIA. Signed 22 June 2021. Organisations working together to provide te ao Māori lens over how Māori data sovereignty can be considered through Government's adoption of Cloud services.
• 16 Crown AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Co-design process between te ao Māori leaders and 16 Crown agencies in 2020, supported by Stats NZ, to design a system-wide model for Māori data governance. Process produced Tawhiti Nuku report and Co-Design Review Report.
• Statistics NZ (Tatauranga Aearoa)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2019Mana Ōrite Relationship Agreement between Data Iwi Leaders Group and Stats NZ. Signed 30 October 2019. Establishes formal partnership for Māori data governance and access to census data. Supports co-design of Māori data governance model and iwi affiliation question redesign for 2023 Census.
• AATEA SolutionssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIndependent facilitators who conducted co-design wānanga with te ao Māori leaders and Crown agencies as part of 2020 Māori Data Governance co-design process.
• Creative HQsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIndependent facilitators who conducted co-design wānanga with te ao Māori leaders and Crown agencies as part of 2020 Māori Data Governance co-design process.
• Indigenous Data AlliancesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create zine exploring how digital infrastructure can be shaped by Indigenous processes and values rather than colonial frameworks.
• Te Whānau ā ApanuisupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTe Pā Tūwatawata pilot partner hosting one of the Points of Presence (PoPs) for decentralised data storage network.
• Te Ohu KaimoanaminorOthersRikirangi Gage, Trustee, previously served as Director of Te Ohu Kaimoana.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tekahuiraraunga
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tekahuiraraunga
• Instagraminstagram.com/te_kahui_raraunga

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Te Kahui Raraunga