IKEA will correct errors in Māori language signs at its flagship Auckland store after problems with the translation were pointed out on social media.
The signs at the Sylvia Park store, which points to the Swedish restaurant and café, reads "wharekai & kāfe swīni", but there are no letter Fs or Ss in the Māori alphabet.
A photo of the sign was posted to Reddit on Monday, sparking debate over whether the translation was correct.
Many users said that “Kāfe Swīni” missed the mark.
"Yeah, doesn’t seem right. Just ‘Wharekai Huitene’ would have worked," one commenter wrote.
IKEA’s first store in NZ opens in Auckland’s Sylvia Park to excitement but not the chaos some had predicted. (Source: 1News)
Another took a more forgiving view: "It’s a shame it was mistranslated, but at the same time, ka pai for the attempt."
Others were less charitable.
"If I went to Sweden and used their national language on signage for my business, I’d make sure it was checked by a native speaker. They clearly didn’t do that here in Aotearoa," one person said.
An Ikea spokesperson said the company had already been made aware of an inaccuracy with the restaurant sign and was “currently consulting with our trusted Māori partners on all existing in-store signage to make any corrections to te reo Māori needed”.
"IKEA New Zealand is committed to authenticity and cultural sensitivity in all of our communications everywhere we operate throughout the world.
"From the outset of our journey to enter Aotearoa, we have engaged professional Māori cultural advisors to develop cultural competency within our teams and strengthen our understanding of the Māori world view.
"We are fully committed to using te reo Māori appropriately and respectfully, and we take all feedback very seriously."
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