Our Māori place names
Almost 600 Aotearoa New Zealand place names were officially changed to include macrons over the past few years.
Using macrons and correct pronunciation in Māori place names can be the difference between calling a place a long drop toilet or a bird’s nest.
Karawhiua (give it a go) to get Māori place names right.
You can download a quick guide on how to spell our local Hauraki place names here(PDF, 162KB).
Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) also has a downloadable guide of Māori place names with macrons.
Kawe Kōrero | Spread the word
Kawe Kōrero, meaning to ‘spread the word’, is an initiative resulting from the Waikato Regional Council’s Māori partnership approach.
Te reo and tikanga experts have been closely involved in the development of the app, which teaches basic speech in Māori, with helpful audio to assist you with pronunciation. It prepares people to attend hui or step on to a marae, teaching them what to expect, how to behave and how to contribute.
The app has specifically been developed to help staff, councillors and other councils to effectively communicate in partnerships with iwi and Māori. It is also available to the general public.