Kia ora e te whānau, ko Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. It’s Māori Language Week, an annual celebration for all New Zealanders to show their support for the Māori language. This year’s theme is ‘Ake ake ake – A Forever Language’. Representing the resilience, adaptability and endurance of te Reo Māori.
Have you been wanting to kickstart your te Reo learning journey? Or, is it time to brush up on your skills? Apps are the perfect way to build your te Reo Māori skills and get the most out of your mahi. In this blog, we’ve put together three of our favourite apps designed to help you improve your te Reo Māori skills. So read along to learn exactly how these te Reo Māori learning apps work and why you should download them!
Learn te Reo Māori with the Ako Tahi mobile app
Ako Tahi, means learn together and with this handy app you can learn common Māori phrases through a couple of different methods. To learn te Reo Māori phrases by category you can easily select one of many tile options on the Rapu or Search page. This will display a range of phrases relevant to that category, with audio clips and translations. You can also search phrases including a certain word by typing that into the search bar. For example, searching up the word “coffee” or “kawhe” and all phrases including the word coffee will be displayed.
Lastly, there are challenges or He Wero in the middle section of the app. These are short audio clips of a phrase where the aim is to listen and test your skills. This is to see if you can remember the phrases, meaning and translation. So start building your knowledge today! Download Ako Tahi to learn and practice te Reo Māori phrases!
Learn through conversation thanks to Kōrerorero
Kōrerorero means conversations, so it’s no surprise the Kōrerorero app is all about learning through conversation. The app was developed by Te Ara Poutama, the faculty of Māori and Indigenous development and the altLAB at Auckland University of Technology.
It’s a fun and engaging app that educates through whakarongo (listening) and tāruarua (repetition). It uses audio clips of common scenarios and features different lessons that focus on essential phrases and vocabulary. Hearing te Reo Māori used in real life everyday situations helps immerse the learner in the language. This makes the whole learning process feel more natural and less rigid. So, get listening and start learning today by downloading Kōrerorero.
Discover te Reo Māori all around you with Kupu
Our third and final app recommendation to help you learn te Reo Māori is Kupu. Kupu is great for visual learners and those wanting to grow their vocabulary quickly. Kupu is a spark-sponsored app, powered by Google technology and resources from Te Aka Māori dictionary. It conveniently uses the camera on your mobile device to instantly translate objects around you into te Reo Māori. Meaning you can quickly and easily find out the Māori word for common items and places.
Simply open the app, snap a photo of an item nearby and see it translated in real-time. Kupu even lets you save the image translation for future reference! This makes it even easier to learn on the go.
Ka pai on taking the first steps to learning te Reo Māori. Make sure to download these 3 apps and boost your te Reo Māori learning journey! With common phrases, everyday vocab and general conversations covered with these apps you’re bound to notice a boost in your huinga kupu (vocabulary). As always, if you need any help getting apps downloaded or devices upgraded, be sure to give the friendly team at Geeks on Wheels a call on 0800 424 335!