Google Maps is rolling out new software for New Zealand that uses an AI-powered text-to-speech (TTS) model to correctly pronounce Aotearoa place names "the way they should sound," speaking English with a Kiwi accent. The pronunciation rules for Māori place names were guided by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission) and publicly available NZ Geographic Board data. Initially, Te Taura Whiri will be kaitiaki of the Māori lexicon, with a long-term plan to establish a group for the kaitiakitanga of the Māori data. Caroline Rainsford, country director of Google NZ, stated that advancements in AI and a years-long partnership with Te Taura Whiri were critical to the update. Ngahiwi Apanui-Barr, chief executive of Te Taura Whiri, said the tool secures a future for te reo Māori in the digital age. This is the second project from a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two organisations in 2023, following a localised Chromebook with a reo Māori keyboard. The update will roll out over the next two weeks for Google Maps users, with the partnership focused on te reo Māori cities and towns and more street and road updates planned. Users can submit words for review via the Te Taura Whiri website if pronunciations are incorrect.