Honour the Past

Connect to Place

Shape the Future

Takiwā (noun)
Origin: Māori
1) territory, region, time or space
2) geospatial platform connecting people, place and space since 2012

Empowering
Indigenous Peoples
and Local Communities

Ko au te whenua, ko te whenua ko au

I am the land, the land is me.

Takiwā recognises a profound difference in how we understand space and place. Western cartography, or mapping, emphasises precision and standardisation, while indigenous traditions weave cultural, spiritual, and relational narratives into their landscapes.

This disconnect often leaves indigenous knowledge of place and landscapes underrepresented in decision-making that impacts people and their connection to their place.

Takiwā bridges the space-place divide.

The NZ SeaRise Programme uses Takiwā to present research and education tools regarding the impact of sea-level rise and vertical land movement on communities and infrastructure around New Zealand's coastline.

Bridging the Space-Place Divide

Through Insight, Innovation & Tradition

Geospatial Analysis and Storytelling

Every place has a story, shaped by many voices, often with different interests. Takiwā brings these different perspectives — past, present, and future — together to show how people, communities and organisations connect with their land and environment.

Level the Data Playing Field

Agencies and companies usually have the data they need to make decisions that impact the environment. Indigenous people and local communities often don’t. Takiwā changes that by making data more accessible and available for frontline communities.

Data Sovereignty and Stewardship

Takiwā Data Lab

Takiwā IDSov manages geographic and cultural data safely and ethically. Data owners control how their data and stories are collected, stored, protected, and shared within indigenous data sovereignty guidelines.

Democratising Data and Research

Solving local challenges often means learning from others. The Takiwā Data Lab connects innovators, problem solvers, and storytellers to share ideas and knowledge — safely and digitally.

Takiwā makes data and research more accessible by helping communities, researchers, and decision-makers share insights and knowledge with each other as well as with local and global audiences.

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Product Demo

Book a Demo

East Coast Exchange is a Toha Network venture that uses Takiwā to host and present data relating to the funding and clean-up of a cyclone affected region, as well as funding flows for large-scale regenerative projects.

Takiwā is core data infrastructure for the Toha Network, which supports frontline communities to take action with nature based solutions to improve biodiversity and climate impacts on their communities. See here to learn more about Toha.

Frequently Asked
Questions

How can Takiwā help indigenous communities and organisations?

Takiwā gives indigenous communities and organisations better access to data and tools that help to protect their land, culture, and people. Takiwā helps gather, analyse, and share data to support their voices in decisions that affect them and their environment. At the same time, it keeps sensitive data safe and managed in ways that respect their rights and interests.

Can government agencies and companies use Takiwā?

Yes, and they do. Takiwā is breaking down barriers to ensure data is used to empower indigenous people and local communities. Takiwā helps organisations to strengthen their relationships and engagement with indigenous people and local communities

Takiwā helps to bring everyone’s data together in a safe, secure way from multiple perspectives to solve complex issues. At the same time, our IDSov ensures steps are taken to safeguard sensitive cultural, tribal and personal data to the extent that indigenous data owners and their partners require.

What are some examples of how Takiwā is being used by different groups?

Takiwā has many use cases. Here’s some examples:

Māori landowners in Aotearoa NZ use Takiwā to store and present sensitive cultural information alongside commercial and environmental data to show how business activities (theirs or others) are impacting natural resources, cultural sites such as ancestral lands and rivers, and people. This information is used to influence decisions that impact their cultural and natural resources, and their people.
Tribal organisations use Takiwā to track resource consents within their regions to see how they affect their land and people, cultural sites and other natural resources. They then use their own data to submit responses to local authorities in a more timely manner during the consenting process.
Toha Network uses Takiwā's platform and indigenous data sovereignty framework to underpin data workflows from frontline communities to funders of nature-based solutions and biodiversity programmes.
A government agency used Takiwā to highlight where and how Treaty settlement co-governance arrangements were being implemented across the country. Takiwā then made the tool and data available to iwi/Māori organisations.
NZ Searise Programme is a national science programme that uses Takiwā to share research on sea-level rise and vertical land movement along the coastline of Aotearoa NZ, with iwi/tibes, central and local government agencies and the public. This has helped local hapū (sub-tribes) determine sea-rise risk to their marae (meeting places on ancestral lands).

Contact our team to learn more about how different groups use the Takiwā platform.

How does Takiwā deliver its services?

Contact us and we’ll arrange a call, you tell us what you need. One of our team or partners will set you up and get you started. If you can load your own data, great, you’re up and running quickly! We provide basic training and tools to support you or your organisation on your data journey.

We usually charge a service fee if you need our team to do some initial work up front with you. Our licence fees vary depending on your needs. Contact us to find out more about our pricing.