Dictionaries and style guides are the fundamentals in any editor’s toolkit. But they’re not the only helpful and handy resources an editor might need on their (virtual or otherwise) bookshelf. We’ve collated some fantastic Aotearoa New Zealand resources covering language, accessibility and copyright – and yes, some dictionaries and style guides too. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been editing for years, there’s bound to be something helpful in this list.
Māori resources
Te Aka Māori dictionary (free). Te Aka Māori–English, English–Māori dictionary and index is available online, in hardcopy and as an app. Te Aka includes names of important Māori people, key ancestors of traditional narratives, tribal groups and ancestral canoes, as well as Māori names for institutions, countries, places and other proper names.
Guidelines for Māori language orthography (free). These easy-to-follow guidelines establish what Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, previously the Māori Language Commission, “considers to be current best practice for spelling and writing Māori”. The guidelines “promote consistency in the use of written Māori and standards for publication.” Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori also has a great collection of resources for work, home and everyday speaking.
For editors who get enquires about translation, Ōkupu (paid) provides an online Māori translation service.
Dictionaries
Oxford dictionaries premium (paid subscription). While not specifically NZ English, Oxford’s premium offering online provides a UK English alternative to the Macquarie dictionary. It also comes with access to New Hart’s rules and Fowler’s modern English usage.
New Zealand gazetteer (free). For official place names, Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand provides the New Zealand gazetteer. You’ll often get the history or origin of the place name too.
Style guides
Fit to print: the writing and editing style guide for Aotearoa New Zealand by Janet Hughes and Derek Wallace (paid). Some New Zealand publishers and freelancers use Fit to print as the base for their house style or style sheets.
New Hart’s rules (paid) pairs well with Oxford dictionaries and UK English.
The New Zealand Government’s content design guidance (free) provides information for producing readable and inclusive content.
Other helpful resources
Copyright Licensing New Zealand (free) has lots of information about New Zealand copyright, what it is and how it applies to the work we do.
MyCreativeRights (free) gives copyright owners a place to catalogue their works and provides legal services for navigating copyright and contracts.
The New Zealand Society of Authors (free and paid) can be a helpful place to point clients to. It has member-only resources and information on getting published in New Zealand.
The New Zealand National Library (free) provides information and resources on legal deposit. IPEd collated information for editors on legal deposit for Gatherings.
Deborah Shaw AE, Editors Aotearoa New Zealand branch president, has more to share on handy resources in this month’s president’s report.
Do you have an Aotearoa New Zealand resource that we haven’t listed here? Get in touch and let us know!