Five Leadership Domains for Ethical AI Integration

This section presents a five-domain leadership framework for ethical AI integration, addressing vision articulation, capability development, and policy governance aligned with Te Tiriti obligations. It contrasts the consequences of absent versus intentional AI leadership, examining how fragmented adoption differs from strategic, equity-focused implementation. Through the lens of manaakitanga and rangatiratanga, the content positions AI governance as collective responsibility grounded in tikanga-based decision-making that prioritises data sovereignty, staff capability, and protection of institutional and learner mana.

Created by Graeme Smith and Liza Kohunui

Here is a practical model for action. These domains give leaders a clear blueprint for shaping AI use responsibly, relationally, and with long-term integrity.

1. Vision + Values

What this means:

Frame AI in your organisation through people, culture, and purpose — not hype, productivity, or fear.

Good questions to ask:

• What do we believe about learning, identity, and justice in a digital age?

• Do we treat AI as a tool, a collaborator, or a threat?

• Whose values — and whose blind spots — are embedded in the tools we use?

Try this:

Co-design a short AI Values Statement with staff, ākonga, iwi partners, or rōpū Māori.

2. Capability + PLD

What this means:

Everyone needs support — not just digital leads or “AI champions.”

Actions that matter:

• PLD that begins with curiosity, not compliance

• Critical thinking first, tools second

• Space to explore fears (job security, upskilling, integrity)

Equity note:

Provide scaffolded, multi-modal PLD so engagement is accessible for Māori, Pacific, ESOL, disabled, and neurodivergent staff.

3. Policy + Governance

What this means:

Clear, living guidance that aligns with ethics, equity, and Te Tiriti.

Elements to include:

• Ethical use and transparency

• Academic integrity expectations

• Privacy + data sovereignty

• Inclusive design and learner agency

• Regular review through kōrero, not lock-in

Note:

You may need multiple interconnected policies — AI guidance across assessment, privacy, cyber-security, equity, academic integrity, and digital strategy.

🪶 Kaupapa Māori Lens – Manaakitanga i te Rangatiratanga | Leadership as Care

Manaakitanga shapes leadership as an act of collective care.

Rangatiratanga is not control — it is responsibility, integrity, and relational authority.

What happens

without

AI leadership:

• Fragmented, ad-hoc use by kaimahi and ākonga

• Privacy and sovereignty at risk

• Inequity in access and outcomes

• Erosion of trust and relationships

• Missed opportunities for transformation

What happens with AI leadership:

• Shared language and consistent practice

• Data protection + Treaty alignment

• Intentional, equity-focused design

• Integrity built through relationship, not surveillance

• Strategic, values-driven innovation

Tikanga-Based Leadership Questions:

Leadership anchored in tikanga asks:

• Who will be affected by this decision?

• Whose voices have not yet been heard?

• How does manaakitanga shape the path forward?

• Does this decision uplift or diminish mana?

Manaakitanga i te rangatiratanga means every AI decision must begin and end with care — nourishing trust, restoring balance, and ensuring innovation serves the collective, not just the confident or the connected.