The Māori Language Act 1987 recognised te reo Māori as an official language in New Zealand, and facilitated the establishment of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (The Māori Language Commission), whose role it is to promote, monitor and develop te reo Māori amongst New Zealanders. Archives New Zealand holds a wide range of information relating to te reo Māori. Two main areas that can be researched at Archives New Zealand are materials in te reo Māori and information about the development and use of te reo Māori.
Much of the 19th and early 20th century correspondence between the Government and Māori was written in te reo Māori. Māori wrote on a wide range of topics, especially land issues. Some of the collections that contain this correspondence are those of the:
The correspondence is often listed in the registers for the different departments, and in some can be identified as the entry is written in red rather than black.
The minute books of the Māori Land Court hearings sometimes includes information in Māori, and the Assessors' Minute Books are usually in te reo.
Other information in te reo Māori includes whakapapa and history, most notably the notes of T. L. Utiku Marumaru, prepared for the Awhaoko Land Court Hearing, which is in the archives of the Māori Affairs Department, Wanganui District. There is also an interesting book transferred from the Telecom Museum, which contains details of places where old post offices were situated. Arranged alphabetically, each entry gives the place name in Māori, an English translation and an explanation.
Archives New Zealand provides an important source of information on the changes in attitudes and policies of governments, Māori and the wider community regarding te reo Māori since the arrival and establishment of Pākehā people in New Zealand. Two of the main collections that contain material of interest are the archives of the Education Department and the Māori Affairs Department. Other important sources of information include: