List of English words of Māori origin

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. 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. Recently some anglicised words have been replaced with spellings that better reflect the original Māori word (Whanganui for Wanganui, Remutaka for Rimutaka).

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"Otago" and several other placenames in the southern South Island come from a southern dialect of Māori, and differ from standard Māori spelling. These names include Lake Waihola and Wangaloa. 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'Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Farewell from Ambassador McCormick" , US Embassy'Arohanui Howard Morrison, New Zealand Woman's Weekly 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 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 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 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 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. taniwhamythical 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 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"Kiwi in Boston feeling the 'aroha'" , 3news.co.nz arohanui: "lots of love", commonly as a complimentary close 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 kapai: very pleasant; good, fine. From Māori 'ka pai' kaitiaki: guardianship of the environment kaupapa: agenda, policy or principle"Our Kaupapa: We value parental choice and...", Early Childhood on Stafford kia ora: hello, and indicating agreement with a speaker (literally 'be healthy') koha: donation, contribution 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 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 puku: belly, usually a big one 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') 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 (modern Māori usage includes automobiles) whānau: extended family or community of related families 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 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

List of English words of Māori origin

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