Nga Iwi o Ngapuhi Membership System: Relationship Management and Relational Design Radka Charkova, Aimee Lin, Tony Clear, Tess Lomax School of Computer and Information Sciences Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag 92006 tony.clear@aut.ac.nz ABSTRACT This paper reviews a capstone project undertaken by Auckland University of Technology (AUT) students to develop a tribal membership register for Te Runanga a Iwi o Ngapuhi. The initial scope of the project incorporated a database to record details of people, land, and their common history. As the project unfolded complex issues related to land, genealogical and historical relationships had to be addressed. The paper discusses the relationship between the clients and developers and the partnership model that was adopted. Research conducted to develop a suitable data model uncovered the GENTECH genealogical data model originated by genealogists in Texas. This model was adapted for this project to suit the unique needs of Maori. The paper describes the initial implementation of an online membership register and concludes with a critique of this model proposing further extensions to address the interactions between people, land and history. Keywords Maori Research, Ngapuhi, whakapapa, capstone projects, genealogical systems, data modelling 1. INTRODUCTION – BACKGROUND 1.1 Bachelor of Information Technology Projects Within the structure of AUT’s Bachelor of Information Technology degree, students undertake a capstone project, comprising approximately one third of their final year of study. This project has an integrative role in the degree, serving to consolidate the knowledge, skills and abilities previously acquired, and intended to afford a context in which to prepare students for entry into professional practice. Projects tend to fit within one of the three broad categories of: 1) Commercial software development project, 2) Commercial software research and development project, 3) Applied or theoretical research project. This paper reviews a capstone software development project, which had the aim of creating an online membership application system for Te Runanga a Iwi o Ngapuhi. This project shared characteristics of all three of the above categories of project, involving developing a system for a live client, evaluating alternative technology options, and researching approaches to modelling for genealogical systems, adapting these to suit the specific requirements of Maori. 1.2 Te Runanga a Iwi o Ngapuhi Te Runanga a Iwi o Ngapuhi, the project client, is a statutory tribal authority which represents and manages the interests of Ngapuhi. Latest census figures (2001) indicate that there may be as many as 103,000 members of this iwi. The majority of these members live outside the tribal boundaries in Northland, and identifying and maintaining contact with members is a costly and difficult exercise. The current paper- based membership system has approximately 2000 members recorded, and the establishment of a more complete membership list is not a trivial task. As a very large and dispersed iwi, the Runanga has a pressing need to create a full membership register, enable members to participate in tribal decision making processes, help support Treaty of Waitangi settlements, and improve the long term management & reporting of tribal resources. The Runanga has developed its own website (http://www.ngapuhi.co.nz ) as a means of communicating with its dispersed membership, including membership applications forms and a guestbook. Nevertheless, providing a fully dynamic, robustly architected website has been beyond the resources of the Runanga to date.