by Metropol | August 19, 2026 8:33 am
Acollaboration between Google and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission) and new AI-powered text to speech technology means New Zealanders can hear the correct pronunciation of te reo Māori places on their travels. The voice speaks English with a Kiwi accent and is equipped with pronunciation rules guided by Te Taura Whiri and publicly available New Zealand Geographic Board data.
“Like all other languages, Māori place names carry stories that connect us to our histories, people and achievements,” says Ngahiwi Apanui-Barr, chief executive of Te Taura Whiri.
“The first step to unlocking those stories is correct pronunciation. If we can hear the words said correctly, we can say the words correctly. This is an important step forward in making te reo Māori a normal, everyday language.”
Caroline Rainsford, country director of Google New Zealand, says advancements in AI have been crucial in the update. “We’re so proud to be able to launch this voice in New Zealand because we know how important it is to pronounce our local place names correctly.”
While the update rolls out, the technology may not get every te reo Māori word correct from the start. For launch, the partnership has focused on te reo Māori cities and towns and is looking to update more streets and roads moving forward.
You can help: “E te iwi, if you come across te reo Māori place names and street names that aren’t being pronounced correctly, we want to hear from you so we can teach the technology the right way to say the word,” Ngahiwi says. Submit words for review via the Te Taura Whiri website: www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/google-maps.
Māori data sovereignty and Google’s AI Principles have been central to the development of this Text To Speech model. Long term, the plan is to establish a group of interested parties for the kaitiakitanga of the Māori data. The goal is to ensure Māori academics, researchers and communities would have the ability to access this data, share the benefit and contribute to the evolution of this kaupapa.
Source URL: https://metropol.co.nz/ka-pai-google-maps-learns-to-pronounce-te-reo-maori/
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