'Walking backwards into the future.'

In 2019, a dedicated team began utilising the open-source, peer-to-peer protocol, Scuttlebutt, to develop Āhau, Free, Open-source Software (FOSS). The goal was to provide whakapapa registry and taonga digital archiving services. The software was tailored explicitly for use by Māori with a focus on data sovereignty and tikanga to govern the access and use of taonga.

From the start, the team's efforts were deeply rooted in mātauranga māori and the tech-innovation landscape of Aotearoa, where collaborations and connections are focused on the generational well-being of Māori. This collaborative environment enriched the team's capabilities and expanded its size and scope.

As the project progressed, the key realisation was digital identity's undeniably central role in securing data sovereignty and the future of the 'digital whenua'—the place belonging to Māori in the digital realm and a contemporary extension of whakapapa.

This understanding catalysed the acquisition of funding from the world's largest decentralised innovation fund, Project Catalyst, to resource a project focused on developing Māori digital identity protocols and begin to create an ecosystem of products and services in which they will be recognised and used. This digital infrastructure must ensure privacy, resilience, security, innovation, and self-healing capabilities essential for developing and maintaining this software in a constantly evolving technological landscape.

The decision to operate under the name 'Matou' and to form a collective marked a significant step towards developing this infrastructure and the start of the next leg in this digital journey of discovery. Moving us forward, from Āhau (Te Reo for 'I am') to 'Matou' (Te Reo Maori for 'We are').

As the portion of our lives entwined in the digital world increases, ownership of our individual and collective identities, our relationships, digital spaces, activities, assets, and mastery of digital skills to develop, manage, and govern them all is critical to ensuring the sustainability and resilience of Māori and our way of life.

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