Indigenous Tech Summit
Description
Join us for Aotearoa's first Indigenous Tech Summit. Two packed days of keynotes and kōrero from indigenous innovators across the globe and Aotearoa.
For centuries, the vast expanse of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa was not a barrier separating our people. It was the original superhighway, connecting Indigenous navigators, traders and innovators across the Pacific.
The Indigenous Tech Summit 2026 reclaims this narrative.
Led by ancestral wisdom and cutting-edge digital capability, the summit brings together Māori and global Indigenous tech communities to navigate the future of artificial intelligence, data sovereignty, enterprise and workforce development.
We invite you to join us as we navigate these new realms.
Tickets
Earlybird: $650 (available until September 21)
Summit Pass: $750
Tickets include:
Summit access
Keynotes and panel discussions
Networking
Expo zone
Rangatahi zone
Kai (lunch provided)
Kaikōrero (more to be announced)
Dr. Desi Small-Rodriguez
Dr. Desi Small-Rodriguez is a citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Nation and Chicana. She is a social demographer and Data Warrior whose research and praxis center on rebuilding data by Indigenous Peoples for Indigenous Peoples. She is faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles, Director of the Data Warriors Lab, and Co-Director of the Indigenous Data Alliance. She is a proud mama, deadly auntie, and good relative. You can find her getting Indigenous data back into Indigenous hands somewhere in between LA, Aotearoa New Zealand, and her tribal homelands in Montana.
Ikaika Bishop
Ikaika Bishop is a Kanaka Maoli farmer, ocean-technologist and educator with over twenty years of field practice and three decades building for the web. He works from inside the systems he studies — growing the food, restoring the fishponds, building and installing the instruments, and writing the software that puts governance of the data directly into the hands of the practitioners. He is legally blind, and an advocate for learners with disabilities.
Prof. Te Taka Keegan
Prof. Te Taka Keegan is the first and only Māori Professor of Computer Science. He works in the Department of Software Engineering at the University of Waikato, where he serves as Associate Dean Māori for Te Wānanga Pūtaiao (Division of Health, Engineering, Computing, and Sciences), and Co-Director Māori of the University of Waikato's Artificial Intelligence Institute. His pioneering work lies at the intersection of computer science and te reo Māori. His focus on integrating te reo Māori into digital platforms ensures its vitality in the modern world, making technology more accessible to Māori speakers and setting a precedent for Indigenous language integration in digital platforms globally. He was awarded Living Icon at the 2025 Matihiko Awards in recognition of his contribution to te ao matihiko.
Meg Smith
Meg Smith is a rising Māori tech leader, entrepreneur, and AI strategist whose mahi is driving meaningful change in the way people across Aotearoa engage with digital tools, build confidence in emerging technologies, and access career development in tech. She founded Cloverbase, a kaupapa-focused venture that supports people and organisations to become digitally literate, AI-enabled, and future ready. Meg's kaupapa is grounded in making sure Māori and underserved communities don't just keep up with digital change, they lead it. She is an early and influential voice on the responsible use of AI in Aotearoa.
Summit Overview
- All day
Day 1: Te Pae Tata | The Near Horizon
Vision, leadership and sovereignty. The day opens with whakatau and karakia, followed by keynotes from local and international speakers and panel discussions. Full programme to be announced soon.
- All day
Day 2: Te Pae Tawhiti | The Distant Horizon
Enterprise and innovation. Venture networking, demos, and lightning talks on the expo floor, closing with poroporoaki. Full programme to be announced soon.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
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