Writing in te reo Māori

Currently there is no requirement for students to provide evidence of their te reo Māori written competency. However, most of the students submitting assignments in te reo Māori in this Faculty are graduates of Māori-medium programmes.

Writing in Māori generally requires more words than English, so word limits to may need to be increased by at least 20%.

Orthography for writing te reo Māori should be as per Māori language Commission recommendations.

We encourage those writing in te reo Māori to provide a glossary of any technical Māori terms being used that are not found in Māori dictionaries such as Te Aka Māori Dictionary and Te Papakupu o Huarahi Māori.

All of the student’s writing should be in Māori but any quote used should be first cited in the original language (usually English) followed by student discussion/interpretation of that quote. Student translation of the quote into the Māori is not always appropriate or required.

If you have any further questions on writing assignments/assessments in te reo Māori, contact the Director of Assessment in te reo Māori, Dr Peter J Keegan (Waikato-Maniapoto, Ngāti Porou). 

Dr Peter J Keegan: p.keegan@auckland.ac.nz