Te Reo Māori is the language of the indigenous population of Aotearoa/New Zealand. There are 10 consonants, no consonant clusters, five qualitative vowels, and multiple diphthongs in the language. Te Reo Māori is written using the Latin alphabet. There are as yet no studies on children’s acquisition of Māori speech sounds, nor are there any studies on Māori speaking children with speech sound disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, dysarthria, cleft lip and palate. Given the paucity of information on speech acquisition or speech sound disorders in Māori, there are no common speech assessments or interventions designed by Māori or others, for Māori children. The article briefly discusses how the needs of children with speech sound disorders are met using Māori cultural practices that emphasize learning through rote.

Key words:
Māori, multilingual, communication, speech, language, children’s development, interdisciplinary, international communities, assessment, intervention

Book chapter:
Ballard, E., & Andrews, W. (2025). Māori speech development. In S. McLeod (Ed.). The Oxford handbook of speech development in languages of the world. Oxford University Press.

Language overview presentation:

• Ballard, E., & Andrews, W. (2024). Māori: Multilingual children’s speech development. Charles Sturt University, Australia. https://www.csu.edu.au/research/multilingual-speech/languages
• Video: Māori [English version] – Children’s Speech Development
• PowerPoint: Māori [English version] – Children’s Speech Development (pdf)

This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 17: Partnerships to Achieve the Goals