MACs & Iwi

MACs and iwi need quality environmental intelligence that meets their cultural needs. Previously, the construction of technology platforms capable of delivering the necessary level of environmental data required by MACs and iwi was either prohibitively expensive or technically infeasible. However, recent advancements in environmental sensing, artificial intelligence (AI), and data warehousing combined with dramatically falling costs, have made this financially and technically viable. It's plausible that the existing farm platforms MACs use may soon become obsolete or be integrated into new, next-generation, dynamic systems. A combination of affordable in-situ and remote sensors will generate vast amounts of real-time, high-fidelity environmental data.

AI will structure this data, creating digital twins[1] of farm environments that can guide on-farm management decisions to achieve desired environmental outcomes. Similarly, this technology can be used to generate digital twins of iwi tribal territories. Existing environmental monitoring systems and models administered by local and central government that currently provide data to iwi may also become obsolete or the data they produce may be integrated into these next-generation platforms. However, for these systems to accurately capture the Māori environmental ethics MACs and iwi need to be at the forefront of their design.

[1] An environmental digital twin is a virtual representation or model of a biophysical environment that is used for simulation, analysis, and understanding. It's a concept that comes from the broader idea of a "digital twin," which is a digital replica of a physical entity or system.

“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”

— Quote Source

Over the past three decades, Māori have gained prominence in the primary sector. Numerous Māori agribusiness collectives (so called as the land is governed for the benefit of a broader group of owners - hereafter MACs), including land trusts, incorporations, and iwi-owned corporations, have established successful farming and forestry enterprises. These enterprises are recognised for their profitability and commitment to Māori environmental ethics. While many MACs utilise platforms such as Overseer and FARMAX to evaluate their environmental performance these systems are typically designed to meet regulatory, market, and production demands rather than the needs of the trustees, directors, managers, and collective owners. These constituents require detailed, customised environmental intelligence to guide their farming and forestry activities to ensure they are operating in alignment with their indigenous ethics.