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A project to make te reo Māori keyboards more available will be launched on Friday as part of Māori Language Week.
Technology retailer PB Tech has been working on the project for four years with support from Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori and Te Puni Kōkiri, with major technology companies Microsoft and Google also backing the initiative.
PB Tech spokesperson Peter Bull says users will be able to toggle between the standard QWERTY keyboard and te reo.
As well as providing physical keys for tohutō, or macrons, which require a combination of keys on a standard QWERTY keyboard, the te reo Māori keyboard includes single keys for frequently used Māori terms and te reo naming of keys such as enter (tomo).
A te reo spell checker is also in development.
PB Tech will be offering the device in three forms – as a standalone keyboard, as a conventional laptop, and as a modification to existing keyboards and laptops.
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