Te reo Māori (the Māori language) is regarded as a ‘taonga’ under the Treaty of Waitangi and was made an official language of Aotearoa in 1987. Crown agencies (like NZQA) have a responsibility to actively protect and promote the use of te reo Māori. Using te reo Māori correctly and providing information and services in te reo Māori is also a response to the growing number of Māori medium institutions and individuals who are requesting information and services in te reo Māori.
Māori in publications
The level of te reo Māori used in a publication can vary considerably depending on the intended audience, the intention of the document, and other important factors such as the range of te reo Māori abilities within your intended audience.
In any document that is likely to be read by Māori clients, an effort should be made to include elements of te reo Māori, such as the trnslation of titles to publications.If the publication has a foreword, a mihi (greeting) can be included. Sometimes whakataukī (proverbs) are appropriate to introduce different sections. This practice increases exposure to the language to non-speakers and those learning te reo Māori.
For publications intended for audiences that have a high proficiency in te reo Māori (e.g. learners at whare kura and wānanga), a separate Māori language or bilingual publication is recommended. If you’re producing a publication for a mixed audience of non-Māori language and fluent te reo Māori speakers, producing a bilingual document is the best option. Te Puni Kōkiri and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori - the Māori Language Commission recommend producing the English and Māori text alongside one another rather than producing separate publications. If you need advice on this, contact the Māori Communications Advisor– Office of the Deputy Chief Executive Māori
Translating English text into te reo Māori
Translating can be an expensive exercise so before arranging for a translation to be carried out, make sure the English text is finalised.
Use of Māori words in English documents Māori words should not be italicised to distinguish them from English. Plurals of Māori words should not have an ‘s’ added to them (e.g. huis). Avoid using Māori words liberally throughout English text. It can be confusing.
Example:
From his kōrero at the hui we were able to understand his whakaaro on this take. Express these sections entirely in Māori or leave them mostly in English.
Example:
From his speech at the hui, we were able to understand his thoughts on this issue.
If English documents include a number of Māori words or terms that the reader is unlikely to know, create a glossary of Māori-English terms at the end of the document.
Correct style for usage of term ‘te reo Māori’ in documents
In a title, use caps as follows: Te Reo Māori.
In a heading or in any sort of running text: te reo Māori.
Shortened version: te reo. This can be used in informal documents, but te reo Māori is generally more suitable.
Basic Māori language salutations
You may like to include a Maori greeting on your page. For example Kia ora (Greetings) or the more formal Tēnā koutou
If you look at the following sites think how they have incorporated bi-cultural aspects (Māori and English) aspects into the design and content.
Consider, macrons, translations, graphics
Te Ara - The Encylopedia of New Zealand https://teara.govt.nz/en
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/
Te Kete Ipurangi (TKI) https://www.tki.org.nz/ the online knowledge basket – is New Zealand's bilingual education portal.
Main Maori site on the Net since 1996 http://www.maori.org.nz/
Document Standards and Writing Guidelines. (2015) NZQA. https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/assets/Providers-and-partners/Registration-and-accreditation/Consistency-of-graduate-outcomes/Consistency-reviewer-advert-docs-4-18/Appendix-4-NZQA-Style-Guide.pdf