11 Jun 2018

Māori magazines get new digital life

12:31 pm on 11 June 2018

Almost 40 years of Māori magazine content is set to be digitised by the National Library of New Zealand.

National Library of New Zealand

National Library of New Zealand. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson

More than 140 issues from the Māori publications Te Kaea, Tū Tangata and He Muka will be digitised and made available to the public in an agreement with Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori.

Māori development minister Nanaia Mahuta said the magazines were filled with rich content that give insight into Māori perspectives in the 1970's and 1980's.

"One of the magazines was also in full te reo Māori, and seeing them all digitised and made available online will give those ideas and perspectives a new lease of life.

National Librarian Bill Macnaught said he's delighted to be expanding the library's digitised collection of historic Māori content in this way.

"Digitising historic content and making it more accessible is a key part of our strategy, to keep enriching our online collections, and enable people to turn knowledge into value."

The digitisation of the publications is part of the National Library's contribution to the Māori Language Strategy to revitalise te reo Māori being led by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori and Te Puni Kōkiri.