Te Reo Māori in the Courtroom

The New Zealand Law Society | Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa developed a suite of resources to support lawyers who wish to speak te reo Māori in court. Drawing from Kia Kākano Rua te Ture, a te reo Māori handbook for the law by Alana Thomas and Corin Merrick, the project aimed to provide practical tools that make the use of te reo Māori in legal settings more accessible. Haemata was engaged to design and develop these resources, ensuring they were user-friendly, culturally grounded, and fit for purpose within professional environments.
While te reo Māori is an official language of Aotearoa and can be used in court, many legal professionals lack the confidence, tools, or practical guidance to do so in formal settings. Using te reo Māori in the courtroom requires not only language capability, but also an understanding of appropriate phrases, pronunciation, and tikanga within legal contexts. The challenge was to create resources that reduce these barriers and enable wider, confident use of te reo Māori across the profession.

Haemata designed and developed a suite of accessible resources to support everyday use of te reo Māori in courtroom contexts. These included printable posters, quick-reference materials, flashcards featuring common courtroom phrases, and audio recordings to support correct pronunciation. The resources focus on practical language used during court proceedings—such as introductions, submissions, and adjournments—enabling lawyers to incorporate te reo Māori into their practice in a clear and supported way. The design approach prioritised usability, clarity, and cultural integrity, ensuring the resources could be easily adopted across a range of legal settings.

The project resulted in a suite of accessible and practical resources that support lawyers to confidently use te reo Māori in courtroom settings. These tools have helped reduce barriers to language use within the legal profession, supporting both individual capability and broader efforts to normalise te reo Māori in formal environments. By making te reo Māori more visible and usable in the justice system, the project contributes to a more inclusive and culturally responsive legal landscape.

View the resources here.