A Māori digital expert says if people have te reo Māori in their email address, it's unlikely they will be able to contact a government department, MP, local council or polytechnic.
Te Kuiti sign with macron Photo: Maniapoto FM
Karaitiana Taiuru said he was concerned that email addresses that use macrons were being declined by the websites of government departments and tertiary institutions.
A macron is a line above a vowel that indicates that it has a lengthened sound, and when it does, it can change the meaning of a word.
Mr Taiuru said most of the online contact forms on the websites of the 158 government departments surveyed would not accept an email with macrons.
That included Te Puni Kōkiri, Te Māngai Pāho and Parliament, which declined email addresses with a macron in their online forms.
Mr Taiuru said of the 19 institutes of technology and polytechnics in New Zealand, only four institutions recognised te reo Māori email addresses in their online forms.