16 October 2012

Te Reo Māori navigation tool launched on Council website

A website software-platform improvement has enabled the Palmerston North City Council to make a substantial move towards its goal of a bi-lingual website.

The Council now has a Māori language navigational menu function, creating a more immersive te reo website experience.

The Council has worked closely with a specialist Māori language consultancy firm, He Kupenga Hao i Te Reo, their web vendor and the Council’s own Māori advisor to provide the language translation content.

Todd Taiepa, PNCC Principal Māori Advisor said it seemed a natural step with the opportunities offered by the new technology to move towards a much greater online recognition of te reo Māori.

“The Council has already made some significant progress in recent years on making the language more accessible. There has been increasing bi-lingual signage in our buildings, and more recently in our parks and reserves,” Todd said. “This year consultation over the Māori Community Strategy highlighted that promotion of te reo should be a key focus, and that more public recognition was crucial to the on-going revitalisation of the language.”

Council web administrator Hamish Richardson said the te reo navigation option is very much a first step in providing more Māori language content.

“The next step will be providing key content page summaries in te reo. We are pleased with the results and as far as we know it’s a first in the local government space,” he said

The website can be found at pncc.govt.nz, look for the link in the top right-hand corner.

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