I'm sure you're right, but the Maori did not write in our alphabet, so it has all been transliterated, which means that changes in spelling have taken place over time. Same thing with Native American usages. What makes your spelling standard now--is there a committee that votes on such things in New Zealand as there has been in France? Is there a dictionary of Maori that is considered "standard"? I'd like to know. Looks like my spelling was based on a phonetic process, rather like the simpler spellings of Greek words now gaining popularity with hellenists.
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