Bilingual Titles

Māori people enjoy seeing their language in use as part of everyday life; it helps them to relate to their environment and gives them a feeling of belonging. Using the language as part of your organisation's branding is one way of meeting the needs of Māori speaking clients.

This page catalogues official Māori language names or bi-lines that have been adopted by public and private groups. It is not a definitive list and we ask organisation we may have missed to contact Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori so that they can be included.

Orthographic conventions

Orthographic conventions are a set of writing 'rules' that the Māori Language Commission recommends be employed by writers and editors of Māori language texts. The Commission believes it is essential for the survival of the language that a standardised written form be adopted by all those involved in the production of material in Māori. This will ensure a high quality literary base is built up as a resource for learners of the Māori language today and in the future.

He Muka (Māori language newsletter)

He Muka is the quarterly newsletter of the Commission, incorporating the Commission's events, new terminology coined by the Commission and other important issues relating to the Māori language. The main objective is to provide a publication written entirely in Māori language of the highest quality, specifically targeted at fluent speakers.

Ko te Whānau (a bilingual newsletter)

Using Māori in the home

Using Māori in the home is a three booklet series which provides useful and practical suggestions to increase and support Māori language use in the home.
[Book 1 - Book 2 - Book 3]

Matariki

Matariki is a star cluster which heralds the traditional Māori New Year which is celebrated in 2008 on 4 June. We have developed a booklet with suggested activities that individuals, families, marae and school communities may wish to follow.
For more information click here

Annual Report

The Commission is funded by money appropriated by Parliament. Section 10 of the Māori Language Act 1987 requires that in each year the Commission's annual report be tabled before Parliament. The Commission's annual reporting period begins 1 July each year and ends on 30 June of the following year.

Statement of Intent

Statement of Intent 2009-2010

Lexical expansion

Lexical expansion is a major part of the Commission's work. These texts have been produced by the Commission and can be purchased from most bookstores:

• Te Matatiki a dictionary of contemporary Maori words.
• Māori for the Office assists organisations to become bilingual. 
• He Kohinga Kīwaha a monolingual collection of idiomatic Māori sayings.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

You will need Adobe Acrobat to view many of these files.
Click here to download Adobe Acrobat for FREE

A guide for iwi and hapū to the preparation of long-term Māori language development plans

Where does the Māori language fit into our thinking about the 21st century? Why is the Māori language important? Who will be speaking Māori, where and why? These questions are not just idle speculations. They are real issues, and iwi and hapū can provide the answers.

Promoting Positive attitudes to the Māori language in the classroom

Māori is the indigenous language of our country. It has been spoken here for approximately 1,000 years. It is a modern language, spoken now by over 130,000 people of all ages on a daily basis. The language is most commonly used in Māori homes, at marae, and at Māori language pre-schools and primary schools, although it can be heard and seen in writing in many other settings.

Language Policies and Plans

One of our roles is to support the use of Māori language in public sector organisation in order to contribute to the regeneration of Māori as a living language, and an ordinary means of communication.

back to top