This site provides authoritative information on the Māori language of New Zealand.
The main focus of this site is the structure of Māori, Māori language revitalization efforts and Māori-medium education.
In the past (before setting up this site in 2003) I contributed Māori information to other sites. Many of which quickly become out of date, contain errors and/or overly simplify things. For example, some websites mistakenly claim that digraphs are two letters that combine to form one sound This is not correct. A digraph is a two letter combination that represents a single sound.
Many Māori online and print resources mistakenly claim that all Māori vowel sequences are diphthongs. Another error, frequently made in print and by Māori language teachers is that the r in Māori is rolled. It is not rolled, technically it is termed an alveolar flap or tap.
The Wikipedia Māori language entry has many errors. Other Māori language sites are clearly commercial, ideologically driven or politically orientated with little interest in accuracy. Information available on Māori language pronunciation is often well meaning, but extremely naive and of little use for learners.
This website consists of information pages, FAQs, and three annotated bibliographies. The information is mainly brief descriptions with references to more detailed explanations) mostly as a result of user requests. It also has links to quality and recently released resources.
A lot has changed since I set the website up in 2003. Māori resources have begun to move beyond print only. Increasingly materials are available online, or in eBook formats or as tablet/smartphone apps. Unfortunately quality has not necessarily improved, often dictionaries converted to ebooks have additional errors.
I maintain this site in my own free time for the benefit of all. I own the domain name Maorilanguage.info which means I have complete control of site content. No organisation or group provides any financial assistance for maintaining these pages. The views expressed here are my own, with input from other (mostly New Zealand) linguists.
I have received many requests from organisations wanting to take over my site, demanding I add links to their sites or wanting to commercialise it with advertising etc. The site will always be free.
In the 2nd of half of 2018, unwarranted censorship of individuals, groups, and sites increased dramatically, especially across social media. If you have an internet presence you are likely to attract negativity, abuse and unjustified criticism. This reinforces my 2003 decision to own this site and have complete control of the content.
In early 2016 I realised that the site needed a complete overall to make it mobile/tablet friendly. This Bootstrap 3 version went live on 9 January 2017. The site was moved to a WordPress server in late July 2024.
Finally, feedback and comments are very much appreciated. Thanks to those who have provided comments and picked up mistakes.
The first version of this site went online on 1 August 2003.