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How to become a te reo Māori translator

Official title: Te reo Māori translator

Also called: Language translator, Written translator

Te reo Māori translators translate written text from the Māori language to English and from English to te reo Māori so that it keeps the meaning in the original language.

Main tasks

Work with clients to understand translation requirements
Schedule work to deadlines
Translate written text for clients
Research and edit translations for accuracy
Research relevant language resources for translations
Work with experts to develop Māori language terms
Research current industry trends and resources
Research current translation tools and writing styles

How to become one

You need experience to become a te reo Māori translator and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: to be fluent in te reo Māori and English; a wide vocabulary range for each language; an understanding of Māori culture, history and values; experience in research methods; experience working with iwi and Māori groups; experience working with a range of clients in a range of contexts. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a certificate of competency in translating the Māori language Toi Reo Māori from the Māori Language Commission; an Authority to Practice as a Taura Whiri i te reo Māori registered translator.

See the full Tahatū profile

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $76,072 to $101,221 a year (median $80,213), a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $71,931 a year · Upper: $122,228 a year
TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
People employed in the group Social Professionals: 6,828 at the 2018 Census and 8,142 at the 2023 Census (+19.2%). Past change, not a forecast.
Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

In the group Social Professionals, 60% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Social Professionals work (2023 Census): Auckland 35.8%, Wellington 19%, and Canterbury 12.7%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a te reo Māori translator?

How much does a te reo Māori translator earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $80,213 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $76,072 to $101,221 a year.

Will AI change the work of a te reo Māori translator?

Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.

Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.

This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.

Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.

These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Updated 4 October 2026