Apple users will notice a new feature on its maps app from today which lets people search for Māori place names, iwi and marae.
Detailed place cards and map icons – including a newly designed one for marae – will now be on display with text and photos curated and provided by iwi after the new software was rolled out.
Auckland-based Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei is one of a number of iwi working in partnership with the tech giant to provide Māori names, stories and identifying sites of cultural significance for Apple Maps.
Users will notice a new ability to search for Māori place names, iwi and marae. (Source: 1News)
Tom Irvine, chief executive of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei – Whai Maia, the tribe’s development arm, said from their perspective the iwi has an important role as a tomokanga, or entryway, for people visiting Aotearoa.
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.”
For Ngāti Kuia, located at the top of the South Island, or Te Tauihu, it’s more than simply placing names on a map. Spokesperson 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.”
To have their names and stories represented on the platform is a step in restoring visibility, she said. “It allows our iwi to be seen, recognised, and understood in ways that haven’t always been possible.”
New marae icon
Bay of Plenty iwi Tūhourangi is another involved in the project, with their input including advice on the design of the new marae icon, based on a marae in their tribal area. Spokesperson Annie Balle said it was about embedding mātauranga Māori into digital spaces that Māori use every day.
“For us, this is about visibility and connection. We want our tamariki and mokopuna to see themselves reflected in the platforms they navigate.”
They were deliberate in what they shared, she said.
“Only information that’s already publicly available has been included. Sites of cultural or historical sensitivity remain in our care and are not shared publicly. This project is about visibility, not exposure.”
When asked what kind of assurances they were given around protection of content, she said they retained full ownership and control of how the data was used.
“And at any point we can make changes to how our content is presented. The partnership with Apple includes cultural protections covering whakapapa, kaitiakitanga, and manaakitanga. We hope this sets a precedent for how iwi can engage with tech companies while upholding our own tikanga.”
Curtis said their relationship with the tech company has been a positive experience and was the beginning of a shared journey “that will move at the speed of trust”.
“There were legal discussions that took place and we only shared information we were comfortable with. Like many iwi, we carry a history of being let down, so building trust is important.
“So far, Apple’s team has engaged with care, respect, and transparency, and we remain hopeful and focused on a future where collaboration continues with those values at the heart.”
For regions whose iwi are not involved in the project, users will see generic information sourced from websites such as Te Tari Whakatau.
Apple Maps informs other apps so information will also appear in the likes of Weather and Find My, as well as third-party apps that use MapKit.
But why, Apple?
The maps move is one of a raft of community initiatives Apple has undertaken with Indigenous people in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, but the project comes at an interesting time for the company.
it is launched against the backdrop of the Trump administration cancelling what are known in the US as DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) programmes. Apple shareholders overwhelmingly rejected a plan to scrap its schemes in a vote last month.
According to their website, Apple contributes and supports projects in education, economic empowerment and criminal justice reform that provide opportunities for Black, Hispanic/Latinx and Indigenous peoples as part of the company’s Racial, Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI).
Launched in 2020, REJI was established in response to the racial unrest that swept through the US on the heels of the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. It’s the company’s vehicle to drive long-term global efforts to address racial injustice by focusing on education, economic empowerment and criminal justice reform.
They have previously worked with Indigenous peoples in North America and Australia and, in 2023, they expanded their reach to Aotearoa New Zealand.
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 really 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 really work with organisations on the ground that have that shared goal, and we can, again, bring along that technology and resources to really support those goals.”
It’s important for users to understand the significance of indigenous lands, said Johnson Wilder.
“We’re really preserving histories, and language and culture that is important, and we have this broader commitment to representing and preserving history, language and culture, so we do that in partnership with communities who are so willing to share their knowledge and experiences that help us to inform this process.”
‘Apple, bring it on’
Irvine said for Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, they are focused on their “Ōrākeitanga” and “Tāmakitanga” but need the support of people outside Aotearoa to “remember our place names and to see them as unique and beautiful”.
“We say to Apple, bring it on. Let us support the tauira, support the kaiako, help us with this restoration, ongoing regeneration of our environment, our reo, te kaupapa Māori, he nui te kaupapa (it’s a big kaupapa).
“He hononga te taiao, whenua, tangata, hitoria, reo. Ko te reo te take (It is a bond between the environment, the land, the people, the history and the language. For the language’s sake).”
Ngāti Kuia sees a huge potential for a relationship with Apple to grow, said Curtis.
“Our hope is that opportunities emerge for our rangatahi to step into the digital world – perhaps through internships or collaborative projects with Apple.
“It’s about creating pathways for our young people that will carry Ngāti Kuia forward in this space.”
She said they have extended an invitation to the Apple team to visit their rohe.
“We’d be honoured to host them, visit the landmarks now on the map, and continue building our relationship kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face).”
Glossary
iwi – tribe
marae – cultural hub
tomokanga – entryway, gateway
Tāmaki Makaurau – Auckland
Te Tauihu – area at the top of the South Island
rohe – region, area
mātauranga – education
tamariki – children
mokopuna – grandchildren
whakapapa – genealogy
kaitiakitanga – guardianship
manaakitanga – hospitality
tikanga – cultural protocols
Ōrākeitanga – Ōrākei identity
Tāmakitanga – Tāmaki (Makaurau) identity
tauira – student(s)
kaiako – teacher(s)
reo – language
kaupapa – topic, subject, initiative, event, project
rangatahi – youth, young people
kanohi ki te kanohi – face to face
