Visitors arriving at and departing from Rotorua International Airport are now receiving an even warmer welcome with the recording of a new airport greeting that not only focuses on the messages - but also on how they are said.
The recordings, which are additional to the airport's flight announcements, are played regularly in the airport terminal to welcome visitors and provide important information, reminders and travel advice.
The announcements have recently been re-recorded by local media personality Kiri Danielle, who approached the airport with concerns about the mispronunciation of te reo in the messages. She offered to re-record the announcements, with the support of Te Arawa FM who provided the recording facilities free of charge.
"These announcements are critical to the airport's operations and are the first or last messages visitors hear as they arrive in or depart from our region, so it's important we do it right - and that includes ensuring correct pronunciation," Rotorua International Airport chief Alastair Rhodes said.
"Rotorua has been welcoming visitors for more than 100 years and is internationally renowned for its Maori culture.
We are proud of that fact and that needs to be evident in everything we do - it's so important to get this right.
"I'm pleased that someone cared enough to talk to us about it, and we had absolutely no hesitation in taking up Kiri's offer to help.
"The new recordings are a fresh new addition to the airport terminal and send all the right messages in relation to our region and our culture - we're proud to be doing our bit."
Ms Danielle said she was delighted with the airport's response to her proposal.
"I am very proud of Rotorua and the Maori language. As Rotorua is known internationally for its rich Maori culture, I felt it was very important that the reo used in the airport's messages was pronounced properly. I'm thrilled the airport agreed to make the change."
