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The Mataatua Declaration stands as a pou for Indigenous Peoples, firmly asserting our exclusive ownership over our cultural and intellectual property. Toi Iho is a symbol of empowerment resolutely reminding the world that Māori cultural and intellectual property rights are not negotiable; they are immutable principles grounded in kōrero tuku iho.
All of the creatives who carry the Toi Iho mark whakapapa Māori and their works are distinctly high-quality and authentically Māori reflecting our traditional cultural expressions both tangible and intangible. Toi Iho is more than a trademark of authenticity; it serves as a declaration of indigenous resilience and resistance against the erasure of our cultural identity in the face of globalisation.
Toi Iho calls upon nations and institutions to uphold the dignity and autonomy of indigenous peoples by safeguarding their cultural and intellectual heritage.
Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi
Elizabeth Ellis is an advocate of Māori arts and culture. She has served as Chair of the Toi Iho Charitable Trust since 2010, and is Chair of the Wairau Māori Art Gallery Charitable Trust.
Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāruahinerangi, Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi
Lynell Tuffery Huria is recognised as the first Māori Patent Attorney and is acknowledged as a leading expert on indigenous intellectual property rights, Māori intellectual property, and trade mark protection.
Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Porou
Aroha Mead is an independent researcher specialising in Mātauranga Māori/Indigenous Knowledge, Biocultural Diversity and Indigenous Cultural & Intellectual Property Rights. She has published extensively on these issues.
Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Kahungunu
Dr Karaitiana Taiuru is an advocate and proponent for online and digital Māori rights, cultural appropriation, Māori representation and Intellectual Property Rights, raising tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori awareness in digital and other new technologies.
The Toi Iho Intellectual Property Rōpū is focused on addressing and advancing the intellectual property rights of Toi Iho creative practitioners and their cultural expressions. It is committed to engaging in continuous dialogue and developing long-term strategies that protect and promote Māori arts and culture in traditional, contemporary and global contexts.
The Toi Iho Intellectual Property Rōpū was established to provide guidance for creative practitioners related to the protection of mātauranga Māori, traditional knowledge, tangible and intangible expressions of Māori arts and culture.
The first objective of the rōpū is to develop resources for registered Toi Iho creative practitioners to help navigate intellectual property and cultural property issues.
If you have any comments or feedback around cultural and intellectual property rights, complete the contact form, or email us at admin@toiiho.org.nz and we will be in touch.
Join Toi Iho, empowering creative Māori expression and fostering cultural resurgence.
TOI IHO and the TOI IHO logo are taonga and trade marks of Toi Iho Charitable Trust. Toi Iho Charitable Trust is the kaitiaki of the taonga and owner of the trade marks. All use of these taonga and trade marks must be consistent with rules, policies, and tikanga set by Toi Iho Charitable Trust.
