Supporting AirNZ's use of Te Reo Māori - Problem with the Quality of Reo Used

It’s fantastic to see Air New Zealand embracing Te Reo Māori - using it and making it available for customers in various ways. Long may this continue.

Our national airline is not just a purveyor of goods and services, a mover of people and freight. It is also a ‘carrier’ of our national identity, culture and personality. Because of its high visibility and impact, Air NZ receives a daily opportunity to shape and contribute to NZ life far beyond their core work of flying aeroplanes.

By including Te Reo Māori in aspects of Air NZ’s business it tells us that the airline understands its role in helping to shape national identity and is open to the contribution of the Māori world to that national identity. Chief Digital Officer, Jennifer Sepull, makes this point in the Oct 2019 edition of ‘Kia Ora’ magazine (p. 176) where she says ‘As New Zealand’s national airline we recognise Māori culture is an especially important part of the nation’s identity and we try to bring that to life through our brand and customer experiences globally.’

So I was pleased to see, when I flew to Dunedin and Queenstown last week, the availability of Te Reo Māori in the check-in kiosks and bag drops. 

When using the Te Reo Māori option, however, I was disappointed in the quality of the Māori language used. It was unnecessarily complicated and the messages could have been conveyed in a simpler fashion with commonly used words and phrases.

I very much support the use of words and phrases that accurately convey what is intended, even when this means using little known or used words or phrases. This is often done in an effort to broaden popular vocabulary. I also appreciate that when the reo is used in entirely new contexts (such as at an airline check-in), new and unfamiliar words and phrases will naturally be required.

However, in my view, the fundamental thrust of meaning ought to be secured first (through using common words and phrases) before little known words and phrases are used. And when they are used, they should be done so sparingly and in such a way that strengthens (rather than compromises) the overall intended meaning. The successful communication of meaning is most important and the use of Te Reo Māori ought to meet this goal, just like any language. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the Māori language used in Air NZ kiosks and bag drops.

Here is an example:

Karapahia te waehere pae.

These words (except ‘te’ and ‘pae’) are unfamiliar to me and what is meant here is therefore unclear. I had to search for their meaning by looking at the photo and by recalling previous occasions at the airport. Doing this, however, defeated the whole purpose of employing Māori in the first place. 

Here is another example:

Hoatu tō puka whakaeke taupānga tō Ī-Tīkiti mata whakarunga rānei ki raro i te pūkarapa waehere pae i raro nei.

This is a very wordy sentence full of unknown phrases such as:

- puka whakaeke taupānga
- Ī-Tīkiti mata whakarunga 
- Pūkarapa waehere pae

The use of 'hoatu’ is also incorrect here.

With a bit of study, one could work it out, but no one has the time to do this when checking in at an airport. Again, this could be communicated using simpler language and I wonder whether some of these words are unnecessary? (Eg: mata whakarunga?) Additionally, this has the feel of substituting English words for Māori words (rather than true translation/interpretation) as the structure of the sentence feels English too.

There is a lot more that can be said about the use of Māori on the AirNZ kiosks and bag drops. I applaud AirNZ for embracing the language and hope that this will continue and grow. However, I hope that they consider simplifying the Māori language they use and perhaps make greater use of peer review and audience/customer testing?