If you’re an Apple user and an avid Apple maps fan you can now search Maori place names, iwi and marae as well as detailed place cards and map icons.
This comes after Apple teamed up with a number of Iwi across Aotearoa to provide names, stories and identifying sites of cultural significance.
Tom Irvine, chief executive of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Whai Maia, the Iwi development arm, said having their names and stories on Apple Maps allows them to be viewed on a global scale.
“If you don’t have that in these media, other people from around the world might not know about us. We know this place well, people in Tāmaki Makaurau know Takaparawhau, know Bastion Point, know Ōrākei, but being able to share that internationally in this Indigenous mapping project is very important for us.”
A spokesperson for Ngati Kuia located at the top of the South Island Nicole Curtis said it was about “reclaiming our space” and “making sure our stories and imagery are shared in a way that truly reflects who we are”.
“Many people living in our rohe don’t know who the first people of this region are. Being part of this project helps restore our presence and visibility, not just here in Te Tauihu and Aotearoa but also on a global platform.”
Apple have previously worked with Indigenous peoples in North America and Australia and, in 2023, they expanded their reach to Aotearoa.
Alisha Johnson Wilder, senior director of environment, policy and social initiatives at Apple, said the company believes that with the right technology “everyone can have the tools to change the world”.
“What we look at is who are the communities that we’re seeing a gap that has access to the things like the tech sector, resources that we know are critical to ensure that there is a pathway into tech. So, we recognise that here in New Zealand the Māori community is one where we can work with organisations on the ground that have that shared goal, and we can, again, bring along that technology and resources to support those goals.”
Photo Credit: NZ Herald
