Sustainable Cloud Agreements
Microsoft is Working With the Office of the Māori Trustee
Colin Smith — November 22, 2024
Microsoft New Zealand and the Office of the Māori Trustee (Te Tumu Paeroa) have entered into a cloud agreement to drive sustainable innovation and support Māori land management. Te Tumu Paeroa will become the anchor tenant of Microsoft's new local cloud region, leveraging Microsoft's security, carbon-neutrality, and advanced AI technologies. This partnership aims to help landowners connect more deeply with their whenua (land) and enable faster recovery from major weather events.
The collaboration is underpinned by Te Tumu Paeroa's Māori data sovereignty framework, which emphasizes the mana (identity), tapu (sacredness), and mauri (spirit) of data related to the land and its stakeholders. By keeping this data onshore, the agreement ensures that it is managed in a way that respects Māori cultural values. The cloud migration will also allow Te Tumu Paeroa to collaborate more easily with other organizations using secure Microsoft tools like Dynamics365 and SharePoint, providing more resilience for critical platforms.
This partnership represents a significant step towards integrating sustainable practices into land management and data handling. By utilizing Microsoft's cloud infrastructure, Te Tumu Paeroa can enhance its support for Māori landowners and contribute to a more sustainable future. The collaboration highlights the potential for innovative solutions to address environmental challenges while respecting cultural heritage and promoting data sovereignty.
Image Credit: Microsoft New Zealand
