Locale Mi Nz

Reference data for the Maori (New Zealand) locale — endonym Māori (Aotearoa), written in the Latin script, left-to-right (LTR).

Identifiers

• BCP 47 tag: mi-NZ
• ISO 639-1: mi
• ISO 639-3: mri
• Script: Latn (Latin)
• Region: NZ (New Zealand)
• Text direction: ltr — left-to-right (LTR)

Speakers (approximate)

• L1 (native): 50,000
• L2 (additional): 150,000
• L1+L2 (total): 200,000

Base locale

This is a regional variant of Locale Mi 001 (Maori), the base/macro locale for this language.

Pluralization

CLDR has no explicit plural rule defined for this language; it falls back to the root rule of a single other category (1 form) — every count uses the same word form, as in Japanese or Chinese.

See Unicode Messageformat for writing plural messages using these categories.

Translating into this locale

Apply Locale Mi 001 with the conventions of New Zealand.

• Official status: Māori and New Zealand Sign Language are official languages. Public agencies are expected to use bilingual signage and forms; use the standard Māori names for places (for example Aotearoa, Te Whanganui-a-Tara for Wellington).
• Formats: day/month/year; New Zealand dollar ($, NZD); decimal point and comma thousands separator; 24-hour or 12-hour clock.
• Protocol: follow tikanga (custom) in greetings, acknowledgements, and imagery; consult iwi and hapū for tribal names and local terms.
• Bilingual layout: Māori text usually comes first or is displayed with equal prominence in bilingual materials.

Common pitfalls

• Anglicizing Māori place names.
• Treating Māori as decoration by adding single words to an English text.
• The general pitfalls in Locale Mi 001 also apply.

Learn more

• Locale for BCP 47 identifiers, locale-sensitive formatting, pluralization, and text-direction concepts that apply across all locales.
• Unicode Messageformat for writing plural/selection messages correctly for this locale's grammar.
• Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (https://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz)