About OPC

Kotahi te aho ka whati, ki te kāpuia e kore e whati
One strand of flax is easy to break, but many strands together willl stand strong.

An important part of our mahi is to empower Māori to use their privacy rights, and ensure the privacy rights of Māori are protected and respected. Part of achieving that is engaging effectively with Māori to ensure policy projects and other significant work programmes appropriately consider te ao Māori perspectives.

Our Māori Reference Panel assists the Privacy Commissioner and our staff with the Office’s engagement activities, and ensures a te ao Māori perspective is sought and listened to, including:

Reviewing documents and plans and providing te ao Māori perspectives.
Providing information and making connections if further Māori engagement is required on specific projects.
Providing advice and support on managing effective and meaningful communication and engagement with Māori.
Providing te ao Māori perspectives and thoughts on the identification and development of suitable programmes that could enhance the strategic direction of the Privacy Commissioner and promote their relationship and engagement with Māori.

Māori Reference Panel members (L-R): Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster, Mercia-Dawn Yates, Chris Cormack, Māhera Maihi, Kura Moeahu, and Tahu Kukutai

The members of our Māori Reference Panel are leaders who know the heartbeat of their people and communities, and privacy and data experts. The members of our rōpū are:

Chris Cormack (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha) Chris Cormack has 27 years’ experience working in the ICT sector. He was one of the original developers of the Koha library management system, started in Horowhenua and now used by over 18,000 libraries worldwide. Chris has been a board member of the National Digital Forum and Creative Commons Aotearoa/NZ. Chris also works as Kaihuawaere Matihiko at Catalyst IT and as He Māwhitiwhiti Matihiko ki te kākahu o Hine-Raraunga at Te Kāhui Raraunga.
*Tahu Kukutai (Ngāti Tīpā, Ngāti Mahanga, Ngāti Kinohaku, Te Aupōuri)** Tahu Kukutai is Co-Director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Centre of Research Excellence and Professor of Demography at Te Ngira: Institute for Population Research, The University of Waikato where she specialises in Māori and Indigenous demography and data sovereignty. Tahu is a founding member of the Māori Data Sovereignty Network Te Mana Raraunga and the Global Indigenous Data Alliance, and is a principal investigator on the MBIE-funded research programme 'Tikanga in Technology', focusing on Māori approaches to data governance and data privacy. She co-authored Indigenous statistics: From data deficits to data sovereignty (Routledge, 2025) and co-edited Indigenous data sovereignty: Toward an agenda (ANU Press, 2016) and Indigenous data sovereignty and policy (Routledge, 2020). Tahu has undertaken research for numerous iwi, hapū, and central government agencies, and provided strategic advice across a range of sectors. She has been a technician for the National Iwi Chairs Forum Data Iwi Leaders Group and served on the Board of Pūhoro STEMM Academy. Tahu has degrees from The University of Waikato and Stanford University and is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi. She lives in Waikato, in a whare full of kids and cats.
*Vanessa Clark (Waikato; Ngāti Tīipa, Ngāti Tahinga, Ngāti Āmaru)** Vanessa has spent the majority of her career in the Information and Communications Technology sector in Hong Kong, the UK, Australia, and the USA. Since returning to Aotearoa, she has held multiple roles; Te Mana Raraunga (Te Pokapu member), Kā Hao Māori ICT Development Fund (advisor), Te Māngai Pāho (Board member), Cyber Security Advisory Committee (member) and Science for Technological Innovation National Sciences Challenge (Kāhui Māori). She represents Te Kumi Pā on Te Whakakitenga o Waikato, the tribal parliament of Waikato, and is also part of the Tira Rangahau o Ngāti Tiipa, the research arm of Ngāti Tiipa. Currently Vanessa is Pouhere Kanapu \| Executive Director of Kanapu, based at the University of Waikato. Her research interests include Māori data sovereignty and entrepreneurship. She has a Bachelor of Business Studies in 1992 (Massey) and Masters of Management Studies in 1998 (Waikato).
Kura Moeahu QSO (Te Kāhui Maunga, Ngā Ruahine, Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Mutunga, Taranaki-tuturu, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Toa) Kura Moeahu is a tribal leader for his people and the current Chair of Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa, Waiwhetu Tribal Marae, Pipitea Tribal, Atiawa Toa FM Radio Station. He is a board member of Creative NZ and Deputy Chair of the Wellington Māori Cultural Society. Kura also holds several directorship and advisory roles. He is a cultural advisor and consultant who has a strong background in Māori governance and strategic planning. He is a Treaty and traditional negotiations facilitator and skilled at Iwi engagement, as well as the Tumu Whakarae/Tumu Whakarae/Principal Advisor Māori in Parliament, overseeing and ensuring Māori Protocols are upheld and promoted within Parliamentary Services.
Māhera Maihi (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua, Muriwhenua) Māhera Maihi and her charity Mā te Huruhuru have recently established a new youth homeless transitional facility for Mā te Huruhuru in South Auckland. This is part of her work helping Māori taitamariki escape from cycles of family violence, gangs, and poverty. Māhera’s work draws on her own lived experience and a phenomenal amount of determination and energy.
Mercia-Dawn Yates (Te Arawa, Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Maniapoto) Ko Te Arawa, ko Horouta, ko Takitimu, ko Tainui ōku waka. I tupu ake ahau ki Rotorua, ā i hoki atu ki toku ipukarea kia whakatupu i taku pākarito. My background spans education, Te Reo me ōna Tikanga advocacy, cultural competency, business management, leadership, broadcasting and governance incuding local government. I am a statutory interventionist, cultural advisor and hold a variety of governance roles that support and enhance community and iwi.
*Tahu and Vanessa share their seat.

The term of appointment for our Māori reference panel is 18 months, with provision for a further term at the discretion of the Privacy Commissioner. The Privacy Commissioner is also a member of the panel.