Bilingual traffic signs in te reo Māori edge closer to reality

Monday, 22 May 2023

Public consultation on bilingual te reo Māori traffic signs begins on Monday as part of an effort to make the language more visible on Aotearoa’s roads.

Bilingual traffic signs are edging closer to reality as part of an effort to ensure te reo Māori is more visible on roads across Aotearoa.

A package of 94 signs was released for public consultation on Monday including destination signs, walking and cycling signs, warning signs and motorway advisory signs.

The He Tohu Huarahi Māori bilingual traffic signs programme is being led by Te Mātāwai, an organisation focused on revitalisation of te reo Māori, and Waka Kotahi.

“Using te reo Māori on traffic signs will contribute to an Aotearoa New Zealand where: te reo Māori is visible at a community level where our whānau live and play, and the mana of te reo is affirmed and recognised,” Te Mātāwai Board co-chair Reikura Kahi said.

Kara Hayes on her te reo Māori journey. (Video first published September 2021.)

* Taranaki te ao Māori advocates 'disappointed' with McDonald's over continued use of 'Naki' packaging

* Bilingual road signs in Aotearoa New Zealand would tell us where we are as a nation

'Affirming the status of te reo and enabling community engagement are critical drivers of language revitalisation so we celebrate this moment.'

Kahi said bilingual signage was an important step towards affirming the indigenous status of te reo Māori in Aotearoa.

'Increasing awareness and access to te reo Māori in our communities and cities is also a launchpad from which new iwi language initiatives targeting new generations can grow together,” she said.

Dr Tom Roa (Ngāti Maniapoto) is a professor in the University of Waikato’s Te Pua Wananga ki te Ao - Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies.

He was part of a panel of te reo Māori experts that was established to consider and propose translations for the signs.

“Seeing and hearing te reo Māori has become a norm in Aotearoa New Zealand and these translations address that visibility in the signs on our roads,” he said.

“Te Pae Whakamāori have upheld the mana of the language with an attention to a consistency of terminology across the country, but more, the safety of the community in reading, understanding, and following the signage was a priority.”

He Tohu Huarahi Māori is supported by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori – the Māori Language Commission and Te Manatū Waka – the Ministry of Transport.

The consultation comes after changes in 2022 to establish bilingual Kura/School traffic signs.

'We have sought and incorporated the views of specialists in te reo Māori me ōna tikanga, te ao Māori, local government, safety and roading,” Waka Kotahi director of land transport Kane Patena said.

‘We also looked at bilingual signage in other countries and found that good design mitigates safety risks.”

Bilingual signs are planned to be introduced as existing signs are replaced, or new signs are needed on the network.

The Hastings District Council unveiled on Monday that it would replace more than 20 directional road signs that were faded or hard to read with bilingual signs that include Māori place names.

Consultation on the bilingual traffic signs closes on June 30, 2023 at 5pm.