Te Kūaha

Kia ora!
Welcome to Te Kūaha, your go-to resource for Māori language and protocol.

In April, the University of Auckland launched its University Language Plan for the Revitalisation of te reo Māori.

Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori, Professor Cindy Kiro, told a Zoom meeting of staff that the Language Plan is “our plan and I’m asking your full commitment to achieving the three very ambitious goals in it” adding that “we have lots of tools to champion the work we are doing in te reo Māori”.

One of those tools is the creation of a new free app called Te Kūaha (meaning ‘the doorway’), launched on 6 May.

Te Kūaha has been five months in development but it’s something Kaiarataki Michael Steedman, Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori, and Dr Andy Shenk, CEO of UniServices, have been thinking about for some time.

The app features pronunciation guides for every word and a syllable-by-syllable breakdown. All of the content is playable by audio, including the University and UniServices waiata being sung, and other popular waiata. There’s also a pronunciation song of the sounds in the Māori language.

“What we’re hoping is this will support staff and students to develop basic te reo skills. Our overarching goal with this whole plan is that, by 2040, 50 percent of staff will demonstrate a basic level of competency in te reo Māori.”