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National | Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori

A phone that can korero Māori

Skinny mobile has revealed its newest smartphone the ‘Skinny Tahi’, a bilingual device offering both te reo Māori and English. Launched to coincide with nationwide celebrations of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, the device offers a keyboard using New Zealand’s indigenous language.

Exclusive to Skinny and New Zealand, the Skinny Tahi is a tool for change and language revitalisation, with the hope of encouraging users to learn and use more te reo Māori in their everyday lives.

Brand Manager, Chris Scott recognises that there has been a lack of te reo Māori representation when it comes to mobile devices in New Zealand.

“The theme for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori this year is ‘Kia ora te reo Māori’ which not only picks up our national greeting but means literally, ‘Let the Māori language live’. Skinny Tahi is about helping new users to learn more te reo Māori, and those that are already fluent – to enjoy the experience on their mobile device. We plan to ensure that the technology powering the bi-lingual keyboard will be available across all new Skinny smartphones soon.”