kahu.code Translation and AI Services
Xaviere Murray-Puhara (CEO) and Michael Puhara (CTO)
Explore Our ServicesKo wai mātau? Who are we?
kahu.code is a Māori-owned, father-daughter-AI run software company specialising in Translation and Captioning Services, at scale.
Backed by tangata whenua (humans native to Aotearoa), our AI technology gives us the speed and agility for a fast turnaround on large scale translation projects, whilst maintaining and upholding the mana and integrity of our reo rangatira, through thorough human review and checking of the translations.
With our love of combining te ao hangarau (the tech world) and te ao Māori at the centre of what we do, it is only natural that we have a deep appreciation for reo hangarau (the language of tech), and so we specialise in that, too.
Committed to integrating AI with the richness of te ao Māori, we believe that we are forging a path for our anamata - our future generations, those that will grow up with two native languages in this ever-evolving world: our reo rangatira and reo hangarau.
Meet the Founding Team
Nō Ngāti Kahungunu me Ngāti Porou māua
Xaviere Murray-Puhara
Founder & CEO
Xaviere is a passionate te reo Māori revitaliser, AI enthusiast and real-life API, connecting people and technology, to opportunity. Two-time Co-founder of kahu.code and Tech Taniwha.
Recently graduated with a postgraduate Diploma in Māori Language Fluency
Michael Puhara
Founder & CTO
Michael is a self-taught developer and Co-founder of kahu.code, specialising in AI, language models and reo revitalisation. An educator at MAGS and Massey, he merges technical innovation with practical application.
Winner of the Innovator Tipu Award from Te Hapori Matihiko in 2024
Together, we can champion AI to support the revitalisation of te reo Māori and ensure it is accessible to all.
What Services Do We Offer To Help?
Translation and Captioning Services:
- Māori to English translations, for example, Māori content with English subtitles.
- English to Māori translations, for example, English content with Māori subtitles.
- Māori to Māori speech-to-text, for example, Māori content with Māori subtitles.
- Translation to enable bi-lingual content output, for example, translating English copy for Social Media posts on an ongoing basis.
Wānanga (Workshops) and Speaking Engagements:
- Wānanga and speaking engagements from one or both of our humans, around topics such as: AI, te reo Māori, AI + te reo Māori, emerging technologies.
Custom AI projects
- We are also able to consult and collaborate on custom AI projects. Our CTO, Michael Puhara has extensive experience in the field of AI and development, for example, he has just built a Small Language Model, locally hosted on his computer. He is also skilled in the Microsoft environment, through self-taught use of the tools in the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub.
Together, we can normalise the use of te reo Māori in mainstream spaces, such as workplaces, TV, online education, film and social media, in turn revitalising our reo rangatira; te reo Māori.
Our Projects
Text-to-Text
kahu.code Translation Tools to help you on your reo Māori journey
Whakawhiti Reo = direct translations
Kaiawhina Reo = a friend in your reo Māori journey
Please note,
- These tools currently hold around an 80% translation accuracy rate.
- It is not recommended to use content translated in these tools for external, business or educational use.
- It is recommended that any content taken from these tools are reviewed by humans knowledgeable in te reo Māori, before the final version is used externally, in business or in education.
- These tools are great to help you in your reo Māori journey.
- Whakawhiti Reo is more accurate than Google Translate.
- Sign into ChatGPT for free to start using these tools.
Speech-to-Speech
kōrero mai
a speech-to-speech prototype (te reo Māori and English for new learners)
voice clone = Michael Puhara
Please note,
- The speech-to-speech prototype with Eleven Labs
- The Agent is a clone of Michael Puhara's voice
- It is primarily cloned in reo Māori, built on a model which is created for English and a few other widely spoken languages, therefore other languages may have a slight "accent"
- The reo Māori pronunciation is not 100%, however we have seen huge improvements over the last year and it only continues to get better.
Project Example:
We translated just under 30,000 words in just over two-weeks, returned in .vtt format, re-synced to original video for the Digital Skills AI Course
"kahu.code has been an incredible partner in bringing our Digital Passport AI Skills course to life in te reo Māori. Their expertise in translation and subtitling has made our content more accessible, ensuring a richer learning experience for our Māori learners. Their commitment to language and technology is truly invaluable."
- academyEX
Call to Action
Join us on this journey, we would love your help with any of the following:
- Collaborating with us on a project!
- Connections/introductions to people who could be interested in our services
- Investment/funding options you are aware of, to scale our business in the realms of AI and Large Language Models.
"He waka eke noa"
We're all in this together.
AI-powered / Backed by tangata whenua / Scalable