Institutional Reflection Prompts

This section provides structured reflection prompts for institutional leadership to assess AI readiness and identify strategic gaps, addressing visibility, policy coherence, Te Tiriti compliance, data sovereignty, and equitable implementation. Through a tikanga-based framework, the content positions reflection prompts as mechanisms for embedding rangatiratanga and kaitiakitanga in organizational governance, encouraging institutional dialogue that surfaces accountability structures, missing voices, and cultural safety considerations in AI strategy development.

Created by Graeme Smith and Liza Kohunui

Use these prompts in Board meetings, SLT strategic planning, academic governance, or staff development sessions to surface organisational readiness and reveal blind spots.

• “How is AI currently being used by our staff and learners?”

(Do we have visibility, or are decisions being made informally at the edges?)

• “Do we have an agreed position on AI use, or are we defaulting to silence?”

(Silence becomes policy-by-accident.)

• “Are we upholding our Tiriti responsibilities and protecting data sovereignty?”

(How are Māori Data Sovereignty principles applied in practice?)

• “What would safe, equitable AI look like in our context?”

(For Māori, Pacific, disabled learners, ESOL learners, and staff?)

• “How might we turn ethical leadership into a competitive advantage?”

(What becomes possible if we lead with vision instead of fear?)

🪶 Kaupapa Māori Lens — Rangatiratanga in Practice

These questions align naturally with tikanga-based leadership:

• Who are we accountable to?

(Learners, whānau, iwi, community?)

• Whose voices are missing from our AI strategy conversations?

• How do our decisions protect mana and mauri in digital spaces?

• What would kaitiakitanga look like at organisational scale?

Use these prompts as the backbone of your institutional AI wānanga.