Speakers
Wainui Witika-Park, Catalyst IT
Abstract
One of the key benefits of this digital age is the ability to make knowledge easily accessible through technology. In 2024, Te Kotahitanga o Te Ātiawa Trust launched their Koha, an open-source library management system, to provide access to Te Ātiawa resources and taonga. The Trust formed a relationship with Catalyst, an open-source software company, to install Koha on the Catalyst Cloud - an Aotearoa owned and operated cloud computing service. Te Wainui Witika-Park (Catalyst & te uri o Te Ātiawa) and Ani Sharland (Pourangahau Tiaki Taonga - Manager of Research and Archives at Te Kotahitanga o Te Ātiawa Trust) will share experiences from the Koha implementation. These experiences include why Te Kotahitanga chose to partner with Catalyst and the potential impacts for te uri o Te Ātiawa, as well as providing insights around culturally respectful technology.
Speaker Biography
Wainui - I am a Wahine Māori with low vision, working as a Software Developer at Catalyst IT, based in Te Whanganui a Tara (Wellington). I am passionate about accessibility and Te Ao Māori and this guides me in my work that I do within the technology world. The team that I work in at Catalyst focuses on preserving collections using digital technologies. The main software that I work on is Koha, an open-source library management system started here in Aotearoa and used all over the world.