Google launches improved pronunciation tool for te reo Māori place names

Google and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission) have partnered to launch a New Zealand voice in Google Maps.

It will use a new AI-powered text-to-speech (TTS) model in English that can correctly pronounce cities and towns with te reo Māori names.

Country director of Google New Zealand Caroline Rainsford said she was excited for New Zealanders to experience a local voice in Google Maps.

"Two things have been critical to the success of this update: advancements in AI have enabled our text-to-speech model to pronounce te reo Māori place names in an English sentence. And importantly, this would not have been possible without our years-long partnership and deep collaboration with Te Taura Whiri.

"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."

Chief executive of Te Taura Whiri, Ngahiwi Apanui-Barr, said it was an exciting tool that secured a future for te reo Māori in the digital age.

"Like all other languages, Māori placenames carry stories that connect us to our histories, people and achievements. 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."

The update will roll out over the next two weeks for Google Maps users, but 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, with streets and roads to be updated in future.

Apanui-Barr encouraged users who come across Māori place names being pronounced incorrectly to report them.

"We want to hear from you so we can teach the technology the right way to say the word."

The pronunciation rules the voice uses for Māori place names have been guided by Te Taura Whiri and publicly available New Zealand Geographic Board data.