Maori is an Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the Maori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand, and is the southernmost member of the Austronesian language family, related to Cook Islands Maori, Tuamotuan, and Tahitian. The Maori Language Act 1987 gave it recognition as one of New Zealand's official languages; before European contact Maori had no written form, and its current Latin-script spelling was standardized by Northern Maori communities working with English Protestant clergy in the 19th century.
Facts
ISO 639-3 Code Partially Attested
Speaker CountSpeakers who speak the language well or very well (2015); 186,000 report some knowledge (2018). Classification
Official Status Connections
Written In
Maori is standardly written in the Latin alphabet (with macrons).
Sources
1. Maori language (Wikipedia)
Infobox, Language codes
mri
Infobox, Speakers
50,000 (well or very well) (2015)
Infobox, Native to
Native to New Zealand
Official status, Maori entity page
The Maori Language Act 1987 gave it recognition as one of New Zealand's official languages; before European contact Maori had no written form, and its current Latin-script spelling was standardized by Northern Maori communities working with English Protestant clergy in the 19th century.
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