Microsoft New Zealand today released a te reo Māori language pack for Windows Vista that is available as a no-cost download.

The release, which coincides with Māori Language week, provides computer users with the ability to adapt their copy of Vista to display many commonly used features in te reo Māori. It covers most of the user interface, such as menus, dialogues and error messages of the most commonly used elements of Microsoft’s Windows.

The Vista software includes grammar and language upgrades in accordance with Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (The Māori Language Commission).

Chief Executive of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori Huhana Rokx says applications such as the Māori language pack are crucial as the normalisation of a language is dependent on it being a part of daily life.

”As technology becomes more intrinsic in our everyday lives, the use of te reo Māori helps make the language more visible and accessible. This project also showcases te reo Māori as a living language that can be used in any circumstance - however technical or specialised.„

Windows XP and Office 2003 localisation packs are already available, and Microsoft intends to release a localisation pack for Office 2007 later this year.