As part of the 7 day cartography challenge last year, I created two maps showing Te Reo Māori names of towns and cities names across Aotearoa/New Zealand which were well received. Naturally, I wanted to improve the maps by researching the spelling of place names further to ensure they were accurate, and to spend more time fine tuning the design of the map.

Check out the finished product below (full image). You can get a print copy of the map from the store, or check out my interactive version!

This map is a fantastic resource for learning more about New Zealand places from a uniquely Te Reo perspective. For those interested, prints of this map can be purchased on the Map Kiwi Store below:

Some of the changes from the original map design include pulling the individual islands together into a single map, adding the Chatham Islands/Wharekauri, and adding a reference for common Māori place name meanings. Since there’s no central repository of all Te Reo place names in New Zealand, a number of resources were used to check the spelling of place names and the Māori name equivalent of English names where available. Sources included:

• Maorilanguage.net
• Land Information New Zealand
• New Zealand Geographic Board
• Te Ara Encyclopedia
• NZhistory.govt.nz
• Ngāi Tahu Atlas
• The Reed Dictionary of Maori Place Names by A.W. Reed
• Maori Dictionary

Names are complex, so there are likely places that have alternate or more correct spelling. While there has been reasonable effort to ensure the place names used on the map are accurate, there may be inaccuracies present. In any case, if you have local knowledge of the Māori names in your area and would like to suggest a correction, feel free to get in touch and let me know. Thank you to everyone who has already made these suggestions to me!