Operations Guide
Version 1.0
Mātou Collective is a DAO (Decentralised Autonomous Organisation) working to enable self-determination, economic sovereignty, and digital participation for communities through technologies.
This Operations Guide is a strategic outline of the systems, process and documentation required to establish the DAO. It serves as both the design document, describing the requirements for implementation and rules and culture for community cooperation.
🌱 Core Purpose
- Build a resilient, independent economic system that focuses on serving communities and collective wellbeing.
- Develop a durable and adaptable governance system that respects cultural practises, represents the collective values of the community engaged in developing and deploying digital technologies and supports individual and collective autonomy.
- Create an easy and efficient contribution system that enables community members to make meaningful and valued contributions to this shared purpose.
📜 Key Components
1. Governance Model 🧭
The Mātou Collective Governance Model introduces a proposal and decision making system that enables contributors to shape a shared culture and purpose ****for the collective while being grounded in culture and community.
The Governance Model outlines the division of decision making into Three Houses which include,
- Community House – represents the strategic voices of community representatives and tribal collectives.
- Contributor House – includes developers, educators, and operational teams who execute on the DAO’s projects.
- Elders Council – safeguards cultural integrity, holds veto power, and ensures decisions align with collective culture and values.
The model is polycentric, inclusive, and culturally grounded, blending on-chain decision-making with traditional governance structures.
The model is implemented by Contributors who perform key roles within the system and Rules that provide clear guidance and limitations to enable transparency and safety.
2. Tokenomics Model 🎣
The Mātou Collective Tokenomics Model outlines the token-based economic system which provides decision-making power and economic incentives for participation, Treasury Strategies for DAO initialisation and token management, and Token Distribution Guidelines which define standardised participation and contribution reward rates.
The tokens are split into two governance tokens and one utility token:
- Community Token (COM): A non-transferable governance token issued to communities and TribalDAOs for participation in strategic decision-making through the Community House.
- Contributor Token (CTR): A non-transferable reputation token earned by individuals for verified contributions, granting voting power in the Contributor House.
- Utility Token (UTIL): A transferable token used to access Mātou Collective tools and services, reward contributors, and support DAO operations through platform-based payments and treasury-controlled liquidity.
Together, these tokens form a polycentric, value-aligned economic model that rewards contribution, sustains platform growth, and upholds cultural integrity across all interactions.
3. Contribution Model 🛶
The Mātou Collective Contribution Model outlines the structured approach by which community members engage in the work of the DAO. It defines what constitutes a contribution, who is responsible for creating and reviewing them, how contributors are selected and rewarded, and how each task progresses from proposal to verified completion. This system supports decentralized coordination, ensuring all contributors are fairly compensated for their work through a transparent and peer-reviewed process.
By integrating clearly defined roles—such as governance stewards, project stewards, contributors, reviewers, and treasury stewards—the system ensures that every stage of a contribution is accountable and culturally aligned. Rewards are distributed in Mātou Collective’s native tokens (UTIL, CTR, and COM) based on time, skill, and task complexity. As a living framework, the contribution system is continuously updated through community feedback and governance, reinforcing its alignment with the evolving needs and values of the DAO.
4. Community and Cultural Values 🌊
Mātou Collective DAO is a community lead organisation that prioritises the people first (those that build it and those that it serves) then its purpose, then its products/outputs and lastly profit.
| Value | Description | Implementation |
|---|---|---|
| Cultural Integrity & Relational Values | Governance is grounded in Indigenous culture, kinship, reciprocity, spirituality, and knowledge systems, expressed through whakapapa, mātauranga, hau, and cosmic awareness. | - Elder Council review and veto rights; - Value cultural practises and knowledge; - Proposal reviews include cultural, spiritual, and relational considerations; - Regular cultural events and learning sessions. |
| Democracy & Community Participation | Inclusive, fair, community-led governance that centers collective benefit and lived realities. | - Multi-house voting structure - Quadratic voting to balance power - Open proposal processes - Community-led discussions - Collective decision-making |
| Mana Motuhake & Digital Sovereignty | Self-determination in governance, resources, and digital infrastructure, supported by decentralization. | - Collectively designed governance and economic systems and tools - Decentralized tools and smart contracts for local governance - Digital infrastructure designed for community sovereignty |
| Redistributive & Adaptive Resource Stewardship | Equitable, sustainable, and context-specific allocation of resources for community wellbeing. | Treasury systems prioritize redistribution to underserved communities; flexible funding models; sustainability criteria in project evaluations; adaptive, case-by-case resource allocation. |
| Intergenerational Stewardship | Long-term, holistic decision-making that honors commitments to future generations. | Contributor tokens reward long-term contributions; holistic impact assessments for proposals; multi-generational participation encouraged; ecological and social impacts considered in all governance actions. |
How to Use This Documentation
🎯 For Community Members
- Understand how decisions are made
- Learn about participation opportunities
- Find governance resources and templates
- Access cultural guidance materials
🛠️ For Implementers
- Provide guidedance for systems development
- Access decision-making tools
- Find cultural integration guidelines
- Understand operational requirements
📚 For Researchers
- Study our governance models
- Analyze cultural integration approaches
- Review decision-making frameworks
- Access implementation case studies
Our Approach
🌱 Community-Driven & Practical
Our operational frameworks are developed through community design and agreement, focusing on real-world application while respecting cultural values. They evolve continuously through community feedback, implementation learnings, and cultural alignment studies to ensure they work effectively for our growing communities needs.