A half-page ad in a California newspaper has personally called on Apple CEO Tim Cook to teach Siri to speak Māori.
The message appeared in the Mercury News, a paper with a readership of more than 310,000 across Silicon Valley. It is also available in the cafes at Apple Park in Cupertino.
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It was placed by tourism body ChristchurchNZ, although there wasn't any messaging about tourism.
"Siri doesn't speak Te Reo Māori! Bit of a shame we reckon Te Reo is an official language here and this week, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, we celebrate it!" the ad says.
"Tino pai, nē? Pretty cool, eh?"
There's no response yet from Cook, but ChristchurchNZ general manager of marketing brand and communications Tim Loftus is hopeful.
"We wanted to do something different and fun to stimulate the discussion and build off the massive national momentum of Te Reo Māori. Our efforts with Apple are merely an extension of that.
"We want to see Te Reo Māori recognised worldwide as an important part of New Zealand culture, and having Siri speak it would be a big step forward."
Newshub.
