The New Zealand Law Society | Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa has today launched resources to support lawyers to speak Te Reo Māori in Court.

Working with Te Reo advocate and lawyer Alana Thomas as well as consultancy Haemata we’ve developed a range of tools to support lawyers to speak Te Reo in court.

“Te Reo Māori is an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand and therefore it can be spoken by anyone in court,” says Law Society President Tiana Epati. 

“I have been announcing my court appearance in Te Reo for years and I encourage other lawyers to do so as well.” 

“The revival of Te Reo Māori is important and we can all play a part in helping it thrive.” 

On our website you will find a poster, a quick reference guide and some flash cards to print out with common phrases used during court proceedings. There is also an audio version of each phrase to help with pronunciation. 

“It can be challenging to stand up and speak a new language in a professional setting. I have found that, but I keep practising.  I strongly encourage lawyers to use these incredible and helpful resources,” adds Ms Epati. 

The Law Society is keen to develop further language resources and we will be looking at other areas where practitioners can be supported ki te kōrero i te reo Māori. 

For further reading and ideas on using Te Reo Māori as a lawyer check Kia Kākano Rua Te Ture: A Te Reo Māori Handbook for the Law by Alana Thomas and Corin Merrick.