If you"ve ever used Google Maps in New Zealand, there"s a good chance you"ve heard Māori place names pronounced in ways that didn"t sound quite right. Google is now addressing that with a new AI-powered voice designed specifically for New Zealand users.
The company has started rolling out the new Google Maps voice that speaks English with a Kiwi accent while accurately pronouncing te reo Māori place names. The update is available for users who have their language set to English (New Zealand) and aims to make spoken directions sound more natural and culturally accurate.
This update is one of several recent improvements Google has made to Maps. Alongside its AI-powered navigation features, the company has also been refreshing the app"s overall experience, including a redesigned Settings page that makes its growing list of controls easier to navigate.
The new change reflects the cultural significance of te reo Māori, one of New Zealand"s official languages, and means locations such as Taranaki and Whangarei will now be pronounced more accurately during navigation, thanks to the AI-powered text-to-speech voice.
To make the above possible, Google worked with Te Taura Whiri, the Māori Language Commission, and drew on publicly available data from the New Zealand Geographic Board. The goal was to ensure the pronunciation of Māori cities, towns, and other place names reflects the language as it is spoken.
Ngahiwi Apanui-Barr, chief executive of Te Taura Whiri, stated:
Māori place names carry stories that connect us to our histories, people and achievements. The first step to unlocking those stories is correct pronunciation. If we can hear the words said correctly, we can say the words correctly.
Google also said the project was built with Māori data sovereignty in mind and follows the company"s AI Principles. For now, Te Taura Whiri will act as the guardian of the te reoMāori lexicon used by the voice model. Over time, the plan is to establish a broader group of custodians so Māori researchers, academics, and communities can continue to access and help maintain the language data.
The new voice is rolling out globally starting today across Android, iOS, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay. To try it, users simply need to set Google Maps to English (New Zealand).