Kōrero Māori mai: BNZ launches digital banking in Te Reo Māori with a twist

Kua whakarewa te paetukutuku hou o BNZ. Kua rangiāmirohia ki te reo Māori

BNZ customers can now switch their mobile and online banking to Te Reo. In a new initiative aimed at helping budding Te Reo speakers, BNZ has added a twist to the website’s Te Reo function by adding a “learning mode” where both English and Te Reo translations sit side-by-side.

BNZ Digital People Leader, Pera Barrett, says “learning mode” means any BNZ customer regardless of their understanding of the Māori language can get more familiar with Te Reo by seeing English and Māori side by side on a website they visit very regularly.

“As Bank of New Zealand, we are uniquely placed to play a big part in supporting the growth and use of Te Reo. We’re giving our customers the chance to learn the language through their banking. The aim is customers will become very familiar with terms like moni (money), pūkete, (account) and peke (bank),” says Mr Barrett.

Another benefit of weaving Te Reo into situations where it hasn’t traditionally been used is that it helps ensure the language evolves by using Māori words in new ways.

“For example, the word for ‘edit’ is ‘whakatika’. We’re using it in the context of editing your bank account, which is not a setting it’s normally used in. That’s how languages spread and grow,” says Mr. Barrett.

“Māori heritage is part of what makes Aotearoa the unique and special place that we call home, and Te Reo Māori is an important part of that heritage. We’re proud to support and celebrate Māori Language Week by launching the new service this week,” says Mr. Barrett.

BNZ customers can change their online banking to Te Reo with the settings option on the website, where either full Te Reo, English, or Learning Mode can be activated.

On mobile devices, language settings can be changed to Te Reo on the BNZ app and it will switch over to Te Reo automatically.