Māori Language Week: Whānau Ora launches live technology to support Real Time Reo

Real Time Reo will be on billboards across Auckland.

Innovative Māori organisation Whānau Ora has launched its out-of-home campaign - ‘Real-Time Reo’.

The platform is designed to bring the beauty and importance of te reo Māori into everyday life through heralding in a new era for the revitalisation and learning of Te Reo Māori via electronic billboards across Tāmaki Makaurau last Saturday and will stay up until Saturday, September 21.

Electronic billboards will carry Te Reo and English words.

A study in the Journal of Memory and Language showed when new language vocabulary is learned within meaningful contexts (like applicable phrases and timely sentences), learners had a 60% higher retention rate compared to those who learned the words in isolation.

The innovation behind Real Time Reo centres on a custom-built, real-time dashboard that is able to adapt te reo Māori phrases and translations with context instantly.

Leveraging live data, the platform responds to environmental and social factors - such as weather conditions, the time of day, major sporting events, and breaking news - transforming ordinary moments into accessible te reo Māori learning experiences.

Real time reo in action. Photo / Supplied

The campaign aims to transform public spaces into vibrant, interactive classrooms, cultivating a deeper sense of connection to te reo Māori across Aotearoa.

From large-scale digital billboards to transit displays in busy urban centres, ‘Reo Time Reo’ offers an opportunity to engage with and appreciate the richness of the language in real-time.

The platform’s adaptability makes it accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds—whether fluent speakers or those just beginning their te reo journey.