Learning the Maori Language
Maori te reo Maori commonly te reo ("the language"), is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Maori , where it has the status of an official language. Linguists classify it within the Eastern Polynesian languages as being closely related to Cook Islands Maori , Tuamotuan and Tahitian; somewhat less closely to Hawaiian and Marquesan; and more distantly to the languages of Western Polynesia, including Samoan, Tokelauan, Niuean and Tongan. Maori gained this status with the passing of the Maori Language Act in 1987. Most government departments and agencies have bilingual names, for example, the Department of Internal Affairs Te Tari Taiwhenua, and places such as local government offices and public libraries display bilingual signs and use bilingual stationery. New Zealand Post recognises Maori place-names in postal addresses. Dealings with government agencies may be conducted in Maori , but in practice this almost always requires interpreters, restricting its everyday use to the limited geographical areas of high Maori fluency, and to more formal occasions, such as during public consultation. Our Squidoo lens includes a number of learning Maori resources, recommended learning tools, videos, rss feeds, and more. So if you are interested in learning Maori check out the resources below.