Google & PB Tech launch reo Māori Chromebook in NZ schools

In a significant move towards promoting te reo Māori, Google New Zealand has announced a new update to its Chromebook offerings. In collaboration with PB Tech and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, also known as the Māori Language Commission, a special localised Chromebook now features a reo Māori keyboard, making it easier for users to type in te reo.

Since the launch of this initiative during last year's Māori Language Week, the milestone of delivering 5,000 Chromebooks to tamariki (children) across the country has been achieved. These new Chromebooks are designed specifically to aid the digital use of te reo Māori. They come equipped with physical keys for macrons, single keys for frequently used Māori terms, and te reo Māori naming of keys such as 'tomo' (enter). A Chrome extension developed by the ChromeOS languages team also enables users to easily access these shortcuts, lowering the barriers for typing in Māori on a QWERTY keyboard.

Caroline Rainsford, Country Director of Google New Zealand, expressed her pride in being part of this initiative. "Providing greater accessibility and thereby the utilisation of te reo Māori on Chromebooks is crucial, especially since these are the most commonly used laptops in schools in New Zealand. Ensuring our children have the opportunity to use te reo Māori digitally is vital, and these laptops will continue to have a positive impact across the country," she stated.

Stan Fosenbauer, Head of Education at PB Tech, highlighted the importance of recognising New Zealand's official languages within educational devices. "In delivering devices to over 120 schools, the response has been overwhelming. Our partnership with Google has been strong throughout this project, particularly in tackling timelines and developing new features. We aim to include even more of our local IT industry in this initiative as we move forward," he mentioned.

Ngahiwi Apanui, Chief Executive of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, noted the broader implications of this project. "Apart from normalising the daily use of te reo Māori in Aotearoa, this initiative focuses on integrating reo Māori within the IT sector and schools. It represents another step towards our goal of achieving one million speakers of te reo Māori by 2040," he said.

Beyond the keyboard development, Google has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Te Taura Whiri to identify further areas for collaboration in enhancing Māori language features within Google products. This partnership aims to ensure that all New Zealanders, particularly the youth, have access to technology that supports their educational and cultural needs.

Steve Smith, Google for Education Lead at Google New Zealand, underscored the company's commitment to making technology accessible. "Ensuring that our technology serves all New Zealanders is vital, and Chromebooks play a crucial role in the learning process for many of our young students. Developing a unique keyboard for New Zealand is just one way we can ensure our devices meet the needs of everyone in the country," he stated.