Apple Maps' Latest Update Recognizes Indigenous Lands Across Australia And New Zealand

Apple has rolled out an important update to its maps service, officially recognizing Indigenous lands across Australia and New Zealand for the first time.

Apple Maps will display over 250 dual place names for cities and towns across both countries, along with the land borders of Indigenous protected areas and reserves, News.com reported.

The update, which has been in development for four years, will also highlight the traditional owners of these regions, though land boundaries will not be marked.

In collaboration with First Nations peoples, Apple has sourced data from local language holders, regional and urban language centers, Aboriginal Land Trusts, and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies to ensure accuracy.

The update will extend to Apple's other services, such as Weather and Find My, as well as third-party apps like Qantas, where dual place names can now be searched and displayed.

Indigenous communities will also have the chance to contribute further by submitting photos of their regions to create place cards, helping to raise awareness and share their stories with a global audience.

Charles Prouse, managing director of Nyikbar, an Indigenous consultancy, who played a key role in the project, stressed the importance of collaboration in making the update possible, according to The Guardian.

"We were almost wiped off the map," Prouse, a Nyikina man, said. "To put ourselves back on the map – that's a powerful thing."

The information will be updated regularly, and a system is in place to address any community concerns or complaints.

Global impact

The initiative follows a similar move Apple made in Canada and the United States in 2023, where Indigenous nations were recognized in the company's mapping software.

With an estimated 500 million global users of Apple Maps, the update strengthens the company's ongoing commitment to a more inclusive representation of Indigenous lands worldwide.

There are more than 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language groups across Australia, but there is no definitive national database mapping their land borders, with many boundaries remaining disputed.

Historical policies, such as the forced removal of First Nations peoples, have further complicated land claims, and native title disputes continue to be contested in courts.

In addition to the Australian updates, Apple will also launch place cards for locations in Aotearoa New Zealand, created in partnership with several iwi (Māori tribes).

Future success

Experts like Kass Boladeras, marketing manager at Winyama, one of Australia's only Indigenous-owned mapping companies, have described the initiative as "an act of truth-telling."

However, both Boladeras and Paul Paton, CEO of the Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations, stressed that the long-term success of the project will depend on continued engagement with traditional owners to ensure the information provided aligns with cultural protocols and community expectations.