Te Puni Kokiri is set to launch the first ever te reo Māori ki-o-rahi app, which Te Puni Kōkiri Senior Advisor Eruera Lee-Morgan says was designed to normalise the language on the sports field.
"This innovative tool is designed to bring a traditional Māori game that has been handed down over the centuries into our digital lives, making using te reo Māori on the sports field easy, fun and accessible."
The app was designed by He Oranga Poutama and myReo Studios and will be launched at the largest iwi sports event in the country held in Auckland this weekend- the annual Iwi of Origin Tournament.
Lee-Morgan says, "Puni Reo is one of the first language platforms to support an indigenous language in the world of sports and the first to include an indigenous sport like Kī-o-Rahi."
He believes the app will encourage more whānau to use te reo Māori in everyday activities.
"This app can help whānau use te reo Māori while participating in traditional and contemporary sports with the support of the latest technology. It activates the use of Māori language in the sports domain where so many of our people participate."
Lee-Morgan says whānau involvement in sports is high therefore targeting that area was the way to increase the numbers of those speaking te reo Māori.
“According to statistics, there has been a decline in the number of Māori language speakers so tools like this have the potential to help reverse that trend."
Puni Reo Kī-o-Rahi will be launched on Sunday 7 October at Bruce Pulman Park in Papakura.
The app is available for both Android and IOS users.