Google Maps Speaks Te Reo Māori Correctly

Te reo Māori, the Māori language, is experiencing a significant resurgence, with a 15% increase in speakers between 2018 and 2023. A major step in this revival is the recent launch of a New Zealand-accented voice on Google Maps, designed to correctly pronounce Māori placenames.

This initiative is the culmination of years of dedicated work by the Māori language commission, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. The collaboration with Google aims to support the language journey of learners and speakers by ensuring correct pronunciation of sacred place names. Advances in AI text-to-speech models were crucial in overcoming technological hurdles that had previously delayed the project.

The project began with a focus on cities, towns, and select street names, with plans for further expansion. In 2017, a public campaign to identify mispronounced Māori names led to over 60,000 corrections, though implementation faced delays. The commission retains guardianship of the recorded Māori sounds data, ensuring its accessibility for academics and communities.

This development is seen as a vital step in normalizing te reo Māori, with similar projects underway for Indigenous languages in Australia and the US. Google New Zealand expressed pride in offering a "Kiwi voice" that will help preserve and promote the correct pronunciation of Māori language, especially its sacred placenames.