List of English words of Māori origin explained

The following English words are loanwords from the Māori language. Many of them concern native New Zealand flora and fauna that were known prior to the arrival of Europeans in New Zealand. Other terms relate to Māori customs. All of these words are commonly encountered in New Zealand English, and several (such as kiwi) are widely used across other varieties of English, and in other languages.

The Māori alphabet includes both long and short vowels, which change the meaning of words.^[1] For most of the 20th century, these were not indicated by spelling, except sometimes as double vowels (paaua). Since the 1980s, the standard way to indicate long vowels is with a macron (pāua). Since about 2015, macrons have rapidly become standard usage for Māori loanwords in New Zealand English in media, law, government, and education.^[2] Recently some anglicised words have been replaced with spellings that better reflect the original Māori word (Whanganui for Wanganui, Remutaka for Rimutaka).^{[3] [4]}

Flora and fauna

The accepted English common names of a number of species of animal and plant native to New Zealand are simply their Māori names or a close equivalent:

huhu : a type of large beetle

huia : a recently extinct bird, much prized traditionally by Māori for its feathers

kākā : a native parrot

kākāpō : a rare native bird

kahikatea : a type of large tree

katipō : a venomous native spider

kauri : large conifer in the Araucariaceae

kea : a parrot, the world's only alpine parrot

kererū : the native wood pigeon

kina : the sea-urchin, eaten as a delicacy

kiwi : the bird, a New Zealander, or (but not in New Zealand English) kiwifruit

kōkako : a rare type of bird

kōwhai : a type of flowering tree

kūmara : sweet potato

mako : a shark, considered a magnificent fighting game fish

mamaku : a type of large tree fern

moa : extinct giant flightless bird

pāua : abalone

pōhutukawa : a type of flowering tree

ponga (also spelt punga) : the silver fern, often used as a symbol for New Zealand

pūkeko : a wading bird, the purple swamphen

rātā : a type of flowering tree

rimu : a tree, the red pine

takahē : a rare wading bird

tarakihi : a common fish, though often mispronounced in English as ‘tera-kee’.

toheroa : a shellfish

tōtara : an evergreen tree

tuatara : rare lizard-like reptile, not closely related to any other living species

tūī : the parson bird

weka : a flightless bird of the rail family

wētā : a large native insect, similar to a cricket

whekī : a type of tree fern

Placenames

Thousands of Māori placenames (with or without anglicisation) are now official in New Zealand. These include:

• Territorial authorities: Waikato, Manawatū, Tauranga, Taranaki, Otago^[5]
• Cities: Porirua, Rotorua, Tauranga, Timaru, Whanganui, Whangārei
• Tourist destinations: Aoraki / Mount Cook, Tongariro, Manapouri, Moeraki, Wakatipu, Te Anau, Waitomo

Many New Zealand rivers and lakes have Māori names; these names predominantly use the prefixes wai- (water) and roto- (lake) respectively. Examples include the Waikato, Waipa and Waimakariri rivers, and lakes Rotorua, Rotomahana and Rotoiti.

Some Treaty of Waitangi settlements have included placename changes.

A Māori name for New Zealand, Aotearoa, has gained some currency as a more acceptable alternative. It appears in the names of some political parties, e.g. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand and Communist Party of Aotearoa.

Other words and phrases

aroha : love, sympathy, compassion

arohanui : "lots of love", commonly as a valediction^{[6] [7]}

haere mai and haere ra: welcome and goodbye (respectively)

haka : traditional Māori dance, not always a war dance, often performed by New Zealand sports teams to 'challenge' opponents; see Haka of the All Blacks

hāngī : (1) earth oven used to cook large quantities of food (2) the food cooked in the hāngī

hapū: clan or subtribe, part of an iwi

hīkoi : march or walk, especially a symbolic walk such as a protest march

hongi : traditional Māori greeting featuring the pressing together of noses and sharing of breath

hui : meeting, conference

iwi : tribe

kai : food^[8]

kai moana : sea food

kapa haka : a cultural festival or music and dance

ka pai : very pleasant, good, fine

karakia : sung prayer or welcome

kaupapa : policy or principle, credo, methodology or theoretical foundation

kāwanatanga : transliteration of the English word "governance," sometimes mistranslated as "sovereignty." See also: tino rangatiratanga and Differences in the Māori and English versions of the Treaty of Waitangi

kia kaha : an expression of support, lit. be strong

kia ora : a greeting, lit. be healthy

koha : gift, present, offering, donation, contribution^[9]

kōhanga reo : Māori language preschool (literally 'language nest')

kōrero : to talk; to speak Māori; story

koru : stylised fern frond pattern, used in art

Kura Kaupapa Māori: Māori language school

mahi : work, employment

mahinga mātaitai : traditional seafood gathering place

mana : regard in which someone is held; respect of their authority; reputation^[10]

manaia : guardian spirit, often found in Māori artwork and carving

Māoritanga: Māori culture, traditions, and way of life, lit. Māoriness

marae : meeting house, the communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Māori society

Matariki : midwinter festival, the Māori new year, lit. the star cluster of the Pleiades

mihi : lit. greet, acknowledge; sometimes used for internet board or forum message

moko : facial tattoo

mokopuna : descendants, young children. Lit. grandchildren

Ngaire : woman's name, origin unknown

pā : hill fort

pakarū: broken, not working; often rendered in New Zealand English as puckeroo or puckerooed

Pākehā : New Zealander of non-Māori descent, usually European

Papakāinga : land used as housing by a hapu or whanau group

poi: A dance art that originated in Māori culture and is now popular in object-manipulation communities

pounamu : greenstone, jade, nephrite

pōwhiri : ceremony of welcome^[11]

puku : abdomen, tummy

rāhui : a ban or prohibition

rohe : homeland, tribal area

tangata whenua : lit. "people of the land". The home tribe of a given marae or district; locals; by extension, Māori in the New Zealand context.^[12]

taniwha:mythical water monster

taonga : treasure, especially cultural treasures. Māori usage: property, goods, possessions, effects, treasure, something prized. The term whare taonga ("treasure house") is used in the Māori names of museums

tapu : sacred, taboo; to be avoided because of this; (a cognate of the Tongan tabu, origin of the English borrowing of taboo)

te reo : the Māori language (literally, 'the language')

tiki : stylised representation of a male human, found in Māori artwork and carving

tino rangatiratanga : a political term, sometimes translated as "chieftainship," but most accurately rendered as "(complete) sovereign authority", a right promised to Māori in the Treaty of Waitangi

tukutuku : traditional woven panels

utu : revenge. Māori usage: revenge, cost, price, wage, fee, payment, salary, reciprocity

wāhi tapu : sacred site

wai : water (often found in the names of New Zealand rivers)

waiata : singing, song

waka : canoe, transport

whakapapa: genealogy, ancestry, heritage

whānau: extended family or community of related families^[13]

whare : house, building

Word list

Many Māori words or phrases that describe Māori culture have become assimilated into English or are used as foreign words, particularly in New Zealand English, and might be used in general (non-Māori) contexts. Some of these are:

• Aotearoa: New Zealand. Popularly interpreted to mean 'land of the long white cloud', but the original derivation is uncertain
• aroha: Love, sympathy, affection^[14]
• arohanui: "lots of love", commonly as a complimentary close^{[6] [7]}
• haere mai: welcome
• haka: a chant and dance of challenge (not always a war dance), popularised by the All Blacks rugby union team, who perform a haka before the game in front of the opposition
• hāngī: a method of cooking food in a pit; or the occasion at which food is cooked this way (compare the Hawaiian use of the word luau)
• hongi: traditional Māori greeting featuring the pressing together of noses
• hui: a meeting; increasingly being used by New Zealand media to describe business meetings relating to Māori affairs
• iwi: tribe, or people
• kai: food^[8]
• kapai: very pleasant; good, fine. From Māori 'ka pai'^[8]
• kaitiaki: guardianship of the environment
• kaupapa: agenda, policy or principle^[15]
• kia ora: hello, and indicating agreement with a speaker (literally 'be healthy')
• koha: donation, contribution^[9]
• kōhanga reo: Māori language preschool (literally 'language nest')
• kōrero: to talk; to speak Māori; story
• Kura Kaupapa Māori: Māori language school
• mana: influence, reputation — a combination of authority, integrity, power and prestige^[10]
• Māoritanga: Māori culture, traditions, and way of life. Lit. Māoriness.
• marae: ceremonial meeting area in front of the meeting house; or the entire complex surrounding this, including eating and sleeping areas
• Pākehā: Non-Māori New Zealanders, especially those with European ancestry
• piripiri: clinging seed, origin of New Zealand English 'biddy-bid'.
• pōwhiri: ceremony of welcome^[11]
• puku: belly, usually a big one^[16]
• rāhui: restriction of access
• tāngata whenua: native people of a country or region, i.e. the Māori in New Zealand (literally 'people of the land')^[12]
• tapu: sacred, taboo; to be avoided because of this; (a cognate of the Tongan tabu, origin of the English borrowing of taboo)
• tangi: to mourn; or, a funeral at a marae
• taniwha: mythical water monster
• te reo: the Māori language (literally, 'the language')
• waka: canoe, boat^[17] (modern Māori usage includes automobiles)
• whānau: extended family or community of related families^[13]
• whare: house, building

Other Māori words and phrases may be recognised by most New Zealanders, but generally not used in everyday speech:

• hapū: subtribe; or, pregnant
• kapa haka: cultural gathering involving dance competitions; haka team
• karakia: prayer, used in various circumstances including opening ceremonies
• kaumātua: older person, respected elder
• kia kaha: literally 'be strong'; roughly "be of good heart, we are supporting you"
• Kīngitanga: Māori King Movement
• matangi: wind, breeze ("Matangi" is the name for a class of electric multiple unit trains used on the Wellington suburban network, so named after Wellington's windy reputation).
• mauri: spiritual life force
• mokopuna: literally grandchildren, but can mean any young children
• pakarū: broken, damaged
• rangatira: chief
• rohe: home territory of a specific iwi
• taihoa – not yet, wait a while
• tamariki: children
• tohunga: priest (in Māori use, an expert or highly skilled person)
• tūrangawaewae: one's own turf, "a place to stand"
• tutū: to be rebellious, stirred up, mischievous ^[18] Used in New Zealand English to mean "fidget" or "fiddle" e.g. "Don't tutū with that!"
• urupā: burial ground
• utu: revenge (in Māori, payment, response, answer)
• wāhi tapu: sacred site
• whaikōrero: oratory
• whakapapa: genealogy
• waiata: song
• wairua: spirit

See also

• Māori influence on New Zealand English
• List of English words of Polynesian origin
• List of Māori plant common names

Further reading

• Matthews, R. J. H. (1984). Maori Influence on New Zealand English. World Englishes 3 (3), 156–159.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Why Stuff is introducing macrons for te reo Māori words. Stuff. 10 September 2017 . en. 2018-10-29.
2. Web site: Use of tohutō (macrons) a sign of respect. Stuff. 8 September 2018 . en. 2018-10-29.
3. Web site: Mixed emotions as newspaper adopts Māori spelling. McLachlan. Leigh-Marama. 2018-09-10. . en-nz. 2019-12-23.
4. News: Misspelled Māori Wellington place and street names may be fixed. Ensor. Jamie. 12 April 2019. Newshub. 2019-12-23. en.
5. The name "Otago", and several other placenames in the southern South Island have names from a southern dialect of Māori, and thus these names are not in keeping with standard Māori spelling. Other names of this type include Lake Waihola and Wangaloa.
6. http://newzealand.usembassy.gov/prev_am_mc.html 'Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Farewell from Ambassador McCormick"
7. http://www.nzwomansweekly.co.nz/celebrities/celeb-stories/arohanui-howard-morrison/story/4100504/ 'Arohanui Howard Morrison
8. News: Kiwis say ka pai to pie kai . 3 October 2010 . . 19 October 2011.
9. News: Festival goes glam today . Benson, Nigel . 2 April 2009 . . There is also a 2pm matinee today. Entry is by koha . 19 October 2011.
10. News: Rugby: Fitzy gracious as record set to fall . 12 November 2010 . . . 19 October 2011.
11. News: New commander for district . Constantine, Ellie . 18 February 2009 . . 19 October 2011.
12. News: Local Maori excited about fishing reserve decision . Conway, Glenn . 7 March 2008 . . 19 October 2011.
13. News: Whanau given POW journal . Fox, Rebecca . 26 April 2008 . . 19 October 2011.
14. http://www.3news.co.nz/Kiwi-in-Boston-feeling-the-aroha/tabid/417/articleID/294573/Default.aspx "Kiwi in Boston feeling the 'aroha'"
15. http://www.earlychildhoodonstafford.co.nz/9%287%29Our%20Kaupapa.php "Our Kaupapa: We value parental choice and..."
16. News: Garth George: Beware decrees from little dictators about what to eat . George, Garth . . 19 October 2011 . 2 November 2006.
17. News: New and old waka celebrate Waitangi . Gay, Edward . 6 February 2010 . . 19 October 2011.
18. Web site: Maori Dictionary. 26 August 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110930064632/http://www.maoridictionary.co.nz/index.cfm?dictionaryKeywords=tutu&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=search&n=1&idiom=&phrase=&proverb=&loan=. 30 September 2011. dead.