Internet giant Google has launched a Maori-language version of its popular search engine.
Coinciding with Maori Language Week, the company today launched Google Aotearoa to cater specially for people who speak the language of New Zealand's indigenous people.
Aotearoa is a Maori word often translated as Land of the Long White Cloud, and commonly used by North Island Maori as the word for New Zealand.
A spokeswoman from the Maori Language Commission said 29 people had been part of the team working on the project during the last year, including three key translators.
More than 8750 words were translated as part of the project.
"It is a huge resource for Maori living overseas who are raising bi-lingual children or who are developing their own proficiency," she said.
"It is reaching young people in something that is a big part of their world. It also allows fluent and native speakers to search for their content in Maori," the spokeswoman said.
She said other Pacific people, like those from the Cook Islands, would also benefit from the move, because their language was very similar to Maori.
The next step would be to allow search results to be translated directly in Maori, although this was not expected to occur for some time, she said.
People wanting to use the new interface have to visit google.co.nz and click on the link to search in Maori.
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E korero Maori ana koe?