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Māori Language
Te Reo Māori, as used
in the Earthcore series
Pronunciation guide:
Each vowel has only one
possible sound.
a as in far
e as in fetch
i as in feed
o as in fog
u as in food
When two vowels come together,
a dipthong is created.
Every syllable ends with a
vowel.
A macron such as ā indicates a
longer vowel.
“Wh” can either be an “f”
sound or more like the English equivalent. “Ng” is as you’d
expect except that we also use it at the beginnings of
words.
Examples:
Whakarewarewa:
fa-ka-reh-wa-reh-wa
Ngongotaha: ngo-ngo-ta-ha
ae
aye, yes
e hoa ma
my friends (addressing them)
Hinemoa and Tūtānekai
historical inhabitants of
Rotorua
hongi
greeting in which foreheads
are pressed together, to share breath
iwi
tribe
ka pai
good!
kai
food
kaikaranga
person who sings or
answers the welcome in a formal ceremony
kaitiaki
guardian
kapa haka
Māori group-dance
performance
a call or chant, especially of
welcome
kaumātua
elder
kei te pēhea koe?
how are you?
kererū
wood pigeon
kia ora
hello / thank you
kia tere
hurry up
kino
bad
Kiwi
A New Zealander, after a
native bird
koro
grandfather / elder
koru
fern frond, symbol of new life
kuia
grandmother / elder
Kuirau
central city park in Rotorua
kūmara
sweet potato, in gold, orange,
red or purple varieties
mana
personal or spiritual power
manaia
a mythical guardian that lives
in water; a dragon with a bird's head and a human body
mānuka
the New Zealand tea tree,
known for its medicinal honey
Māori
the original people of New
Zealand
Māoritanga
Māori culture, history and
protocol/etiquette
marae
the centre of a Māori
community; communal buildings around an open area
Matamata
town north of Rotorua, home of
Hobbiton outdoor film set
moa
tall, flightless extinct bird
mokopuna (“moko”)
grandchild, young person
Mokoia
island in Lake Rotorua
ngā mihi
thanks
Ngongotaha
dormant volcanic mountain to
the west of Lake Rotorua
Ohinemutu
Māori village within Rotorua
(central), a highly active thermal area
Owhata
eastern suburb of Rotorua
Pākeha
non-Māori person
Papatūānuku
the Earth Mother
piupiu
flax skirt
Pōhutu
geyser in Rotorua that erupts
about once per hour
pōwhiri
formal Māori welcoming
ceremony
pūkeko
blue swamp hen
Rangitoto
largest volcano in the
Auckland area
Rotorua
City built in a geothermally
active caldera
Tāmaki Makaurau
Māori name for Auckland
tangata
person / people
tangata whenua
people of the land (local
tribe)
taniwha
spirit being, mythological
creature
tapu
sacred, taboo
Tarawera
volcano near Rotorua that
erupted in 1886
Te Arawa
Māori tribe of the Rotorua
area
Te Ngae
a main road in Rotorua
Te Reo
the Māori language
tēnā koe/kōrua/koutou
hello to you
(singular/dual/plural)
tēnei / tērā
this / that
tieke
saddleback (bird)
tohunga
Māori priest
tomo
hole or sinkhole in the
ground; or a cave
tūī
songbird with two voiceboxes
Utuhina
stream entering Lake Rotorua
from the southwest
Waimangu
the volcanic valley forming
part of the Tarawera eruption rift
wero
challenge laid down by a host;
must be accepted by a visitor before a pōwhiri can begin. To
accept is to declare that your group comes in peace. To refuse
is to declare yourself an enemy.
Whakarewarewa
Māori village within Rotorua
(south), a highly active thermal area
Whakatāne
town on the Bay of Plenty
coast to the northeast of Rotorua
whakatau
less formal type of welcoming
ceremony
wharekai
dining hall of a marae
wharenui
meeting house of a marae,
where guests sleep
wiri
fluttering hand movement used
in dance
