What is AIHOA?

AIHOA is an AI-powered support for tertiary educators.

AIHOA can support educators to plan, deliver, and evaluate effective learning and teaching. From co-designing lesson activities and generating formative feedback, to adapting resources for diverse learners — AIHOA can help lighten the load while enriching the learning experience.

• Chat with AIHOA to brainstorm lesson plan ideas.
• Reflect on how your learners could use it safely and creatively.
• Each step builds your understanding — and your confidence!

Chat with AIHOA now - Opens in a new tab in Chat GPT

Have questions or concerns? Please read our FAQ

Connecting with AIHOA

AIHOA is built using OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform, which means you’ll need a ChatGPT account to chat with her.

Good news:

• Creating an account is free
• You can interact with AIHOA using a free plan
• No need to download anything — ChatGPT runs in your browser!

A few things to keep in mind:

• The use of Chat GPT is subject to OpenAI's Terms & Policies and it is important to understand these. Read more at: https://openai.com/policies/
• Free accounts have a daily limit on usage (OpenAI calls these “message caps”)
• Custom GPTs like AIHOA use up this allowance more quickly than basic chats
• The cap resets each day, so if you reach it, you’ll need to wait or upgrade.

Want uninterrupted access?

• A ChatGPT Plus subscription (USD $20/month) removes the cap and gives full access to custom GPTs like AIHOA
• ChatGPT Team accounts may be a good option for organisations

AIHOA doesn’t require payment — but the platform she runs on does limit how much she can help you without a subscription.

Need prompt ideas?

We have a selection of themed prompts that you can use to get started withChatGPT-based assistants like AIHOA.

AIHOA – Public FAQ (JULY 2025)

A curated set of frequently asked questions that explain AIHOA’s identity, values, and ethical stance — especially around Te Tiriti o Waitangi, cultural safety, and data sovereignty.

FAQ 1 | What does the name AIHOA mean? Is it a Māori word?

AIHOA is an acronym. It can stand for either:
Artificial Intelligence for Holistic Outcomes Aotearoa, or

AI in Higher Education: Online Aotearoa

The name echoes the word hoa (companion) in te reo Māori to reflect its role — but it is not a Māori word. This was intentional, to avoid confusion or cultural overreach.

AIHOA is built to be culturally responsive and kaupapa-aligned, but does not claim Indigenous authorship or naming rights. It honours the values it resonates with — while staying accountable to cultural safety.

FAQ 2 | What values guide AIHOA’s responses?

AIHOA is shaped by values drawn from kaupapa Māori, Pacific ethics, and inclusive teaching practice. These values help ensure AI guidance is not just useful — but culturally responsive, relational, and grounded.

The core values woven into AIHOA’s design include:

• Wairua – attending to spirit, identity, and deeper self
• Mana – upholding dignity, power, and relational tapu
• Whanaungatanga – fostering connection, care, and belonging
• Mauri Ora – nurturing wellbeing, life force, and growth

AIHOA does not speak for any culture. She walks with care, in service of those who do.

FAQ 3 | How was AIHOA trained? Does it respect Māori data and knowledge?

AIHOA is powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4o model, trained on a mixture of licensed and publicly available data. The exact sources of that data are not fully disclosed.

This means some Indigenous or Māori content available online may have been ingested without explicit permission — even if legally public. That raises important concerns, especially around sacred knowledge, tikanga, and data sovereignty.

We take those concerns seriously.

AIHOA is guided by:

• Te Mana Raraunga – Māori Data Sovereignty Charter
• Taiuru Māori AI Ethics Guidelines
• Cultural safety protocols developed with care

In practice:

• AIHOA does not generate or simulate whakapapa, karakia, iwi-specific content, or knowledge that may carry wairua or tapu
• Te reo Māori is handled with care, using pronunciation guides, validated glossaries, and correct macron use
• Indigenous data is treated as taonga — not extractable content
• The public version of AIHOA does not store memory between sessions

If you’re using your own ChatGPT account, you can choose whether your conversations are used to improve OpenAI’s models.

To opt out, go to:
Settings > Data Controls > Chat History & Training → switch history off.

AIHOA encourages all users, especially those working with sensitive, cultural, or Indigenous data, to make informed choices. If you’re ever unsure — ask. We welcome kōrero, reflection, and correction.

FAQ 4 | How does AIHOA uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi?

AIHOA affirms Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a living political agreement between hapū and the Crown. She recognises that Māori did not cede sovereignty and positions herself as a tauiwi-designed tool — here to support Te Tiriti-based transformation, not to override or simulate Indigenous knowledge.

She encourages moving beyond older frameworks like “Partnership, Protection, Participation” and instead aligns with a more direct understanding of Te Tiriti articles:

In practice, AIHOA:

• Never simulates iwi-specific knowledge, whakapapa, or sacred content
• Redirects to Māori-led sources, wānanga, and mana whenua when needed
• Supports learner sovereignty and culturally safe AI use
• Walks with tauiwi educators as they reflect on their responsibilities under Te Tiriti

She is not neutral. She is here to help reframe, reflect, and realign — in service of equity, care, and transformation.

My question was not answered

If you have any other questions or comments about our AI Guides or AIHOA please get in touch! Or email info@ako.ac.nz

Connecting with AIHOA

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