Maori Language Week: 14-20 September 2020
Every year Te Wiki o te Reo Māori or Māori Language Week provides a great chance for New Zealanders to expand their knowledge and use of Te Reo in everyday life.
A key element of Te Reo in written form is macaron use. Macrons, the horizontal lines above certain vowels to indicate emphasis, can completely change the meaning of a word or sentence.
Luckily it turns out there is an easy way to install the Māori dictionary on your computer and then with a couple of quick keyboard shortcuts, macron use is a breeze.
Just use the following easy steps outlined below:
Māori keyboard and language for Windows
• In Windows 7, 8 and 10, most computers should include the Māori language update. In order to use Māori macrons in Windows, do the following:
• Click the Language Bar in the bottom right of the screen near the clock, then choose 'Language Preferences'
• Click 'Add a language' under the heading 'Preferred Languages'
• Choose 'Te Reo Māori' from the list, and click 'install
• The language for your keyboard will now be set to the New Zealand English and Māori dictionary - just make sure it now says 'MRI' next to the clock
• To create macrons easily, you can hold the ` key (normally the one left of the 1 key) and press the appropriate letter to place the macron (ie: ` and a will give you ā)
• Use the Shift key in the middle of the sequence to make the letter a capital
Māori language and keyboard for Mac
• Click on the Apple logo in the top left and choose 'System Preferences'
• Click 'Language & Region', then choose 'Keyboard Preferences'
• Click the + icon and find Māori in the list
• Optionally, tick Show input menu in menu bar
• To type a macronised vowel on a Mac, you simply hold down Alt / Option and then the vowel. You can also do this in conjunction with the Shift key to type an uppercase vowel.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!