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A new bilingual keyboard hopes to support the learning of te reo Maori.
A new bilingual keyboard will give users the ability to type in te reo Māori.
The device has been developed by computer company Lenovo in collaboration with AMD and aims to improve digital inclusion.
Lenovo New Zealand country manager Libby Macgregor said the idea for the keyboard came from her 8-year-old son Felix who is learning te reo Māori in school.
“Felix came home one day and asked me, ‘Mum, why can’t I find the keys on the keyboard to type in te reo Māori?’ It was then I realised we didn’t have the hardware to make this as easy as it should be,” she said.
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“Lenovo has an incredible Product Diversity Office, and it was in consultation with this team we created something that could support the learning and use of te reo Māori.”
Macgregor said digital devices in countries with large English-speaking populations often miss out on products with alternate characters for languages, resulting in a digital divide for consumers.
Sapeer Mayron/Stuff
House of Science is a charity that makes and delivers bilingual science kits on all kinds of topics to primary schools. (First published August 16, 2022.)
“Māori is a culture which stays alive predominantly through use of the language,” she said.
“Lenovo wants to contribute by enabling Aotearoa’s rangatahi and professional workforce to utilise te reo Māori with ease in their everyday lives, through the launch of this keyboard.”
AMD Asia Pacific & Japan spokesman Peter Chambers said language is fundamental when it comes to culture, and preserving it allows history and traditions to be passed on for generations to come.
“We are incredibly thrilled to be a part of this significant step forward in promoting greater diversity in education.”
Lenovo launched its Product Diversity Office in 2020 and has a goal to have 75% of all its products vetted for inclusion by 2025.
Ada Lopez is from Lenovo’s Product Diversity Office and said technology is a catalyst for positive change.
“We believe that no one should be left behind in our shared digital future,” she said.
“We are excited to unveil this new product in New Zealand and take another step towards driving inclusivity across the globe.”
The bilingual keyboard is available with some ThinkPad and Education laptop devices. Lenovo will release the device to the wider public at a later date.
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