Name: UXCHCH: Maori Maps - Bringing Aotearoa ‘to the gate’ of marae
Start: 2025-05-15T17:00:00+12:00
End: 2025-05-15T19:00:00+12:00
Location: 100 Carlyle Street

**About the talk**
Over five years and more than twenty thousand kilometres, our small team visited almost every marae of New Zealand to create the first ever map of marae. We aim to reconnect descendants with marae through our web platform – [Maorimaps.com](https://maorimaps.com/) Now 16 years in existence, Māori Maps guides 30-plus thousand monthly visitors to the virtual gate of ancestral marae of Aotearoa. This talk reflects on the genesis of Māori Maps, the establishing ethics that frame our work and the importance of marae to Aotearoa. Taken from the Māori ritual of encounter (powhiri), we will look at a concept ‘to the gate’- a philosophical and literal standpoint, and our own form of protecting indigenous data sovereignty that guides the 30-plus thousand monthly visitors to the site. Lastly, this talk will touch on our recent collaboration with Made Curious in the site refresh, user-framed engagement and connecting to marae and land.

**About the speaker**
Hirini grew up in the small marae community of Oromahoe in the Bay of Islands, Northland. He completed a doctorate at the University of Otago, Dunedin, exploring the past-present and future of his village. The general theme of his research interests is understanding something of the relationship between people, land and water. Hirini is also kaiwhakahaere Matua for the website [www.maorimaps.com](http://www.maorimaps.com/).

**Agenda:**
**5:00pm** • Doors open, networking + refreshments
**5:30pm** • Presentation starts
**6:30pm** • More networking
**7:00pm** • Event close
Drinks are kindly sponsored by [AWS](https://aws.amazon.com/) and [Canterbury Tech](https://canterburytech.nz/)
Also, a big thank you to [MadeCurious](https://madecurious.com/) for providing the event space for us to meet - if you’re interested in what they do, check out their [LinkedIn page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/madecurious/).

**MadeCurious HQ information:**

* We have x2 mobility car parks available and wheelchair access into the building
* If you have any accessibility needs please let us know so we can make sure to cater for them
* Limited car parking will be available onsite (MadeCurious. labelled signs) and ample street parking close by the office
* There is a bike shed at the back of the parking lot where you can park your bicycle.

*We have a limited capacity, so please only RSVP if you can definitely make it.*

Marjolein Visser

Andrew Pitts

UX CHCH • User Experience Christchurch

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UXCHCH: Maori Maps - Bringing Aotearoa ‘to the gate’ of marae

100 Carlyle Street

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UX CHCH • User Experience Christchurch

UXCHCH: Maori Maps - Bringing Aotearoa ‘to the gate’ of marae

UX CHCH • User Experience Christchurch

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