Wānanga 2026 Mana Ako × Project Rise
Lian Passmore and Lee Palamo

We need
your voice.

Two researchers. Two AI tools built for vulnerable spaces. One question we can't answer alone: what does safety actually feel like when AI holds a conversation that matters?

What is this?

We're Lian and Lee — two master's students who've built conversational AI for relationship support and te reo Māori learning. We've reached the questions we can't answer from research papers. We need people with lived experience and honest instincts.

The projects behind this

This research sits across two master's projects — Lian's Project Rise, exploring relational AI for vulnerable conversations, and Lee's Mana Ako, building a te reo Māori learning app grounded in safety and mana.

Explore Project Rise & Mana Ako →

Then we come together.

Thursday 26 Feb, 6.30–8pm NZDT — Online wānanga on Zoom. We take what came up in individual kōrero and explore it as a group.

Can't make it? Your individual conversation still counts.

The timeline

Now – 25 Feb

Have your kōrero (AI, form, or person)

Thu 26 Feb, 6.30pm

Online wānanga together

After

Share final reflections (5 min)

Two weeks later

Last chance to withdraw your data

What you'll need

A quiet space, a device with a mic, and about 15 minutes. The wānanga is on Zoom.

Why online?

Our participants are across Aotearoa, and two master's students don't come with a travel budget. We're being honest about what we can and can't do — and that honesty is part of the research.