List of English words of Māori origin#Word list

File:Nestor notabilis -Fiordland, New Zealand-8b.jpg]]

File:PohutukawaCornwallis.jpg trees]]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

File:Mt Maunganui & Tauranga 2006.jpg, taken from the top of Mount Maunganui]]

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

• Territorial authorities: Waikato, Manawatū, Tauranga, Taranaki, OtagoThe 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.
• 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.

File:Hangi prepare.jpg]]

File:Mt Eden terraces.JPG marking the sites of the defensive palisades and ditches of this former pā]]

Image:Pounamu pendant.jpg

Image:EarleWarSpeech.jpg (war canoes) at the Bay of Islands, 1827–8. The word has also given rise to the phrase waka-jumping, in New Zealand politics.]]

Image:Hikoi FS.JPG hīkoi approaching the New Zealand Parliament. The red, black, and white flags represent tino rangatiratanga.]]

; aroha : love, sympathy, compassion

; arohanui : "lots of love", commonly as a valediction[http://newzealand.usembassy.gov/prev_am_mc.html 'Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Farewell from Ambassador McCormick"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305005118/http://newzealand.usembassy.gov/prev_am_mc.html |date=2012-03-05 }}, US Embassy[http://www.nzwomansweekly.co.nz/celebrities/celeb-stories/arohanui-howard-morrison/story/4100504/ '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{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10677794 |title=Kiwis say ka pai to pie kai |date=3 October 2010 |work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=19 October 2011}}

; 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{{cite news |url=http://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/arts/50130/festival-goes-glam-today |title=Festival goes glam today |author=Benson, Nigel |date=2 April 2009 |work=Otago Daily Times |quote=There is also a 2pm matinee today. Entry is by koha |access-date=19 October 2011}}

; 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{{cite news |url=http://www.odt.co.nz/sport/rugby/135967/rugby-fitzy-gracious-record-set-fall |title=Rugby: Fitzy gracious as record set to fall |date=12 November 2010 |agency=NZPA |work=Otago Daily Times |access-date=19 October 2011}}

; 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{{cite news |url=http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/43842/new-commander-district |title=New commander for district |author=Constantine, Ellie |date=18 February 2009 |work=Otago Daily Times |access-date=19 October 2011}}

; 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.{{cite news |url=http://www.odt.co.nz/regions/south-otago/1666/local-maori-excited-about-fishing-reserve-decision |title=Local Maori excited about fishing reserve decision |author=Conway, Glenn |date=7 March 2008 |work=Otago Daily Times |access-date=19 October 2011}}

; 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{{cite news |url=http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/4472/whanau-given-pow-journal |title=Whanau given POW journal |author=Fox, Rebecca |date=26 April 2008 |work=Otago Daily Times |access-date=19 October 2011}}

; whare : house, building

Image:Tanenuiarangi.jpg]]

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[http://www.3news.co.nz/Kiwi-in-Boston-feeling-the-aroha/tabid/417/articleID/294573/Default.aspx "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[http://www.earlychildhoodonstafford.co.nz/9%287%29Our%20Kaupapa.php "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{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/garth-george/news/article.cfm?a_id=10&objectid=10408694 |title=Garth George: Beware decrees from little dictators about what to eat |author=George, Garth |work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=19 October 2011 |date=2 November 2006}}
• 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{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/waitangi-day/news/article.cfm?c_id=1500878&objectid=10624516 |title=New and old waka celebrate Waitangi |author=Gay, Edward |date=6 February 2010 |work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=19 October 2011}} (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 {{cite web|title=Maori Dictionary|url=http://www.maoridictionary.co.nz/index.cfm?dictionaryKeywords=tutu&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=search&n=1&idiom=&phrase=&proverb=&loan=|access-date=26 August 2011|archive-url=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=|archive-date=30 September 2011|url-status=dead}} 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

{{wiktionarycat|type=Māori language origins|category=Maori derivations}}

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

{{Reflist}}

• Matthews, R. J. H. (1984). Maori Influence on New Zealand English. World Englishes 3 (3), 156–159. {{doi|10.1111/j.1467-971X.1984.tb00597.x}}

{{English words of foreign origin}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:List of English words of Maori origin}}

Category:Māori words and phrases

Maori

Category:New Zealand English