About
Who created this
I'm Paul, a Cook Islander living in Europe. I grew up with the language but don't practice it daily. My daughter's request to learn Cook Islands Māori after visiting home made me realize: while I don't feel equipped to teach formally, I can build tools that help us both reconnect. This platform is as much about my own journey back to the language as it is about creating something useful for other families, learners, and speakers trying to keep Cook Islands Māori alive in their lives.
What this is
Maorify supports the preservation, learning, and everyday use of Cook Islands Māori by giving learners and speakers access to modern language tools—the kind available for more widely spoken languages. This is an evolving project built on dictionary content, with features growing as the dictionary and community expand.
What you can do here
This platform is designed as a practical, learner-first tool:
- Search the dictionary
Look up Cook Islands Māori ↔ English words, with meanings, examples, and pronunciation audio where available. Where recordings are available, learners can hear different accents, with a reference accent provided to support learning. Selected community members can contribute audio recordings to help build the library.
- Translate text
Translation uses AI with dictionary support, but accuracy varies—Cook Islands Māori has limited online training data, so the AI sometimes relies on closely related languages like New Zealand Māori. Confidence indicators help you judge reliability.
- Practice daily
Learn through features like Word of the Day and a daily word game that encourage regular engagement and familiarity.
What's next
For this platform:
- More practice games and structured learning paths
- Expanded dictionary content and audio coverage
- Features that support daily engagement and progression
Beyond this app:
I'm also working on building machine-readable Cook Islands Māori text resources—things like aligned translation pairs and text-audio datasets. While not directly part of Maorify, this foundational work will eventually enable better tools across the ecosystem: more accurate AI translation, spell checkers, video subtitles, and other language technology that Cook Islands Māori currently lacks. If you're interested in contributing ideas, content, or feedback, reach out here.
A shared effort
Language preservation isn't something a single app can solve, it requires community. This platform started as a way to help my daughter connect with her heritage, but it’s one small part of a wider effort—shaped by learners, speakers, contributors, and communities who care about Cook Islands Māori and want to see it thrive.
Last updated 10 February 2026