ICML 2021 Workshop and Social

Wednesday July 21st 1pm-3pm PDT

Schedule

• Talk: Enabling a sovereign digital future for indigenous languages
  • Abstract: Papa Reo (papareo.nz) is a multilingual language initiative grounded in Indigenous knowledge and ways of thinking and powered by cutting edge data science. We will present our work on the importance of indigenous sovereignty over data, platforms, and technologies used in the preservation, promotion, and revitalisation of language and culture. We will also cover some of our latest tools such as a real time pronunciation model which aims to decolonise the sound of te reo Māori. Papa Reo is led by Te Reo Irirangi o Te Hiku o Te Ika (Te Hiku Media), a charitable media organisation, collectively belonging to the Far North iwi of Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupouri, Ngai Takoto, Te Rārawa and Ngāti Kahu. Te Hiku Media is an iwi communications hub for radio, online video and media services. Māori language revitalisation is a core focus, and Te Hiku Media’s vision and mission were confirmed by a meeting of kaumātua (elders) and other native speakers of Te Reo Māori.
• QA
• Social

Speakers

	Keoni Mahelona
	Keoni (Kanaka Māoli) is the Chief Technology Officer at Te Hiku Media and a leading practitioner of indigenous data sovereignty. Originally from Anahola on the island of Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi. Keoni has been living and working in Te Hiku o Te Ika for 10 years having first arrived in Aotearoa as a Fulbright Scholar. As a driving force behind the development of digital innovation projects that seek to secure the future of te reo Māori and other indigenous languages, Keoni makes decisions every day to protect the sovereignty of Māori data, from the digital tools employed to advance projects, the storage of data and sharing data in appropriate and secure ways.
	He Hawaiʻi au mau au! I am Hawaiian forever and ever!

Peter-Lucas K Jones

Peter-Lucas (Te Aupōuri, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāti Kahu) is the Chief Executive Officer of Te Hiku Media and an experienced governor in the Māori media eco-system. He is currently the Chair of Te Whakaruruhau o ngā Reo Irirangi Māori, Deputy Chair of Māori Television and Deputy Chairman of Te Rūnanga Nui o Te Aupōuri, and board member of Te Pūnaha Matatini, a Centre of Research Excellence for Complex Systems. As a trusted kaitiaki of Māori data, Peter-Lucas negotiates the responsibility of protecting iwi and Māori data while meeting the needs of funders and the expectations of iwi and hapū. Peter-Lucas has terrestrial and digital experience working with kaumātua and marae to record and provide access to te reo ā-iwi, tikanga ā-iwi, kōrero tuku iho and iwi history. This experience has seen the development of a Kaitiakitanga License for Te Hiku Media that provides a framework to guide the use of Māori data from a haukāinga perspective.