The Māori language has been in a constant state of change and evolution since the arrival of the ancestors of Māori to New Zealand. The environment known by traditional Māori was vastly different to that known today. Daily tasks and conversation related greatly to providing food which relied on in-depth knowledge of the environment with lexis reflective of this. Lower levels of engagement, introduced flora and fauna and technological developments have seen a decline in the necessity of such knowledge and its associated lexis. Furthermore, the introductions of new technologies and techniques have been at a faster rate than the evolution of te reo resulting in an absence of appropriate vocabulary in certain contexts. This research explores the status of Te Reo Māori within the domain of hunting and cultural harvesting practices in order to propose a strategy for language new lexis development to support the cultural and linguistic preservation of these practices in the modern context.
