2025 marks 50 years of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, the perfect time to reflect on the small, meaningful ways we can support the language in our lives and workplaces.
Here are four quick hacks to help make te reo Māori part of your everyday mahi, by increasing its use and visibility in the tools we rely on each day.
1. Install a keyboard to type macrons easily
One of the simplest ways is making sure we write te reo Māori correctly. That includes using tohutō (macrons), the “stretching symbol” that sits above vowels and often changes both pronunciation and meaning (e.g., keke = cake, kēkē = armpit). Getting these important details right is a small and powerful way to show respect.
On Windows 11:
If you’re using Windows 11, the best option is the NZ Aotearoa keyboard, developed by Microsoft Aotearoa in collaboration with te reo Māori advocates. It’s now the default New Zealand input method on most updated devices.
This change was introduced to better support te reo Māori and make typing tohutō (macrons) easier and more intuitive. You can read more in Microsoft’s announcement.
How to set it up:
- Go to Settings > Time & Language > Language & Region.
- Under Preferred languages, select English (New Zealand).
- Click the three dots > Language options.
- Under Keyboards, click Add a keyboard and choose NZ Aotearoa QWERTY.
- Lock and unlock your computer to activate it.
On Windows 10:
You may still see the Māori keyboard listed as MRI. It works the same way.
On Mac (Ventura or Sonoma):
macOS supports Māori as a keyboard input, not a full system language.
How to set it up:
- Go to System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources.
- Click the + and add Māori.
- Enable Show Input menu in menu bar.
- Switch keyboards from the menu bar or set a shortcut in Keyboard Shortcuts.
Typing tohutō (macrons)
On Windows (NZ Aotearoa keyboard):
Lowercase vowels: tap or hold [`] + vowel → ā
Uppercase vowels: tap or hold [`] + Shift + vowel → Ā
On Mac (Māori keyboard):
Lowercase vowels: hold Option + vowel → ā
Uppercase vowels: hold Option + Shift + vowel → Ā
2: Add te reo to your email signature
Your email signature is seen many times in day so it’s a simple but powerful way to use te reo Māori in your workplace.
Quick wins:
- Add a te reo Māori to your sign-off. E.g.:
- Ngā mihi – Kind regards
- Ngā manaakitanga – Best wishes
- Mauri ora – Good health
- Hei konā mai – See you later
See Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington's Māori greetings and phrases guide for some more helpful examples.
- Use macron-friendly fonts like Calibri, Arial, or Segoe UI.
- If you use Outlook, create multiple signature versions for different contexts:
- Go to File > Options > Mail > Signatures
- Click New to create and name each version (e.g., Formal, Casual, Internal)
- When writing your email, you can switch between them depending on tone or audience
3: Create te reo autocorrect shortcuts
Speed up your typing and avoid common errors with custom shortcuts in Outlook, Word, or Apple devices.
Examples:
kia/ → kia ora
aro/ → arohanui
mana/ → manaakitanga
Fix common typos — like autocorrecting “kai ora” to “kia ora”
On Outlook:
Go to File > Options > Mail > Editor Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options.
Add your custom rules under “Replace text as you type.”
On Mac or iPhone:
Use Text Replacements to sync across Mail, Messages, and Notes.
How to set it up:
- Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement.
- Tap the + icon.
- Add shortcuts like:
nga/ → Ngā mihi
kia/ → kia ora
ora/ → ora (to stop it always autocorrecting it a capital O for “Ora”!)
4: Save and reuse helpful phrases
Set up a reusable bank of te reo Māori phrases that you can quickly drop into emails, chats, documents, or presentations. This saves time, ensures consistency, and helps you confidently use te reo Māori in your everyday mahi.
How to do it:
- Clipboard managers like Paste, ClipClip, or built-in tools like Windows Clipboard History (Win + V) let you store and reuse frequently typed text.
- Use Sticky Notes, Apple Notes, or OneNote to keep a running list of greetings, sign-offs, and acknowledgements.
- Create email templates or Quick Parts in Outlook for common replies that include te reo Māori.
- Use text expansion tools like espanso or macOS Text Replacements to trigger full phrases with short codes (e.g., typing nga/ inserts “Ngā mihi nui”).
He iti, he pounamu. It may be small, and it is precious.
Every kupu/word counts. When you're weaving te reo Māori into your emails, meetings, or quick greetings, you're helping to uplift the language. You could choose one thing to try this Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, and let's see where it takes all of us.