World-leading software giant Microsoft has recognised te reo Māori as a world language by adding it to their translator application.
It has been a 15-year project, which will make the country's native tongue more accessible in NZ and internationally.
The app will also aid the government's strategy to get more New Zealanders speaking te reo Māori.
Professor Pare Keiha, of Auckland University of Technology, says, "Te reo Māori is spoken by all too few here in Aotearoa New Zealand. The opportunity to partner with a giant like Microsoft is extraordinary but, more importantly, it will give us the opportunity for our own children to understand that our language, our first language, has a place in the 21st century."
Education Lead at Microsoft New Zealand, Anne Taylor, says, "Everyone around the world will be able to use the Microsoft translator app to translate from one of the 60 Microsoft supported languages to te reo Māori."
Taylor adds that the tool will also benefit fluent te reo Māori speakers, as they are no longer restricted in how they can use the language online.
"To create an asset that our tamariki, our family, our whānau, everyone in the country can use to really ensure that the language, te reo, not only thrives but is innovated upon and continues to grow," Taylor says.
Professor Keiha has had a huge input into developing the app and says he is excited to see what the future has in store for the next generation of te reo Māori.
"It's extraordinary to think that our children might be able to innovate and create and reimagine the future of te reo Māori because not only will it translate from Māori to English or English to Māori but also the other 60 languages that Microsoft is supporting."
The app is free and available from all app stores.