Features

Meet and Greet/ Wa Tutaki
 
Hello (informal)
Kia ora 
key-ah order 
 
Hello (formal, to one person) Tena koe ten-are kweh
Hello (formal, to two) Tena korua ten-are call-roo-ah
Hello (formal, to three or more) Tena koutou ten-are co-toe
 
Good morning Atamarie ar-tar-marr-dee-air
Good afternoon/Good evening Ahiahimarie ar-hee-ar-hee-marr-dee-air
Good night Pomarie poor-marr-dee-air
 
What is your name? Ko wai to ingoa? core why tore eeng-or-are
My name is… Ko ……. toku ingoa core………..tore-koo eeng-or-are
Nice to meet you Pai ana ki te tutaki i a koe pie un-ah key the too-tuck-ee ee ah kwe
 
How are you? Kei te pehea koe? kay teh pear-hair kweh
I am good Kei te pai ahau kay teh pie ah-hoe
I am not good Kaore ahau i te pai Carl-reh oh ee-teh pie
 
Where are you from? No hea koe? naw he-ah kwe
I am from Dunedin No otepoti ahau nore or-tep-pore-tee ah-hoe
You poor thing! Ka aroha! car ar-raw-har
 
Saying thank you
Saying ‘thank you’ is the same as saying ‘hello’, so ‘kia ora’ is informal, and ‘tena koe’ is formal (when said to one person) and so on…
 
Random Phrases/ Kianga Poka Noa:
 
MEAN! KA RAWE! ca -rar-weh
She’ll be right mate! Hei te pai e hoa! hey-teh-pie eh-hor-ah
Hardout! Tautoko! toe-took-or
 
Mate, shut up! E kare, turituri! eh car-reh too-dee-too-dee
True bro? He pono hoki e hoa? heh paw-naw whore-key eh whore-ah
You’re gorgeous To porotu hoki tall poo-raw-too hook-ee
 
You deserved that! Ana Un-ah
Have a nice day! Kia pai to ra key-are pie tore rah
Sorry Aroha mai are-raw-har my
 
I’m so stoked! Kei te manahau au kay teh mun-ah-hoe oh
You are my love Ko koe te tau o taku ate! core kweh teh toe or tuck-oo utt-eh
Good Bye Ka kite car keet-eh
 
Top Two Major Misconceptions
The haka is not a war dance. It is generic term given to any form of Maori dance that empowers one’s identity. The true war dances are called peruperu, whakatu waewae, and tutu ngarahu, which are performed with weapons! Other forms of haka include haka taparahi, manawa wera, pokeka, haka powhiri, kaioraora and ngeri. The haka performed by the All Blacks are haka taparahi, ceremonial haka performed to stiffen the sinews, to summon up the blood.
 ‘Pakeha’ is a tricky and very much contested Maori term. Today, the term generally refers to New Zealanders of European descent. The most cited origin for the term Pakeha is from the name Pakepakeha, which refers to a mythical people of the sea that had fair skin and hair (not ‘flea’ or ‘pig’ as many uninformed people believe). Though many Pakeha still prefer to be called New Zealanders, and even feel insulted by being called Pakeha, the term is generally only meant to distinguish them as a unique ethnicity in this country. 
 
Food/Kai
 
Fruit Huar?kau who-are-rar-co
 
Veges Huawhenua who-are-fen-oo-ah
 
Other Food: Atu kai utt-oo kai:
Apple Aporo are-poor-raw
Carrot Karoti car-raw-tee
Bread Paraoa par-rar-or-ah
Banana Maika my-car
Corn Kanga car-ngah
Eggs Heki heck-ee
Orange Arani are-runny
Potato Riwai ree-why
Tomato Tomato tore-mutt-or
Meat Miti meet-ee
Dairy A-kau are-co
Beef Miti kau meet-ee co
Butter Pata putt-ah
Chicken Heihei hey-hey
Cheese Tihi tee-hee
Pork Poaka paw-uck-ah
Chocolate Tiakarete tee-yuck-ah-ret-eh
Fish Ika eek-ah
Milk Miraka mee-ruck-ah
 
Mini Guide to Some Maori Dialects
Iwi – How are you? – Listen
Ngapuhi – E pehea ana koe? – ‘hakarongo
Waikato – Kei te peewhea koe? – whakarongo
Te Arawa – Kai te pehea koe? – whakarongo
Ngai Tuhoe – Kai te pehea koe? – whakaron’o 
Ngati Porou – Kai te pehea koe? – whakarongo
Whanganui – E pe’ea ana koe? – w’akarongo
Kai Tahu – E pehea ana koe? – uakaroko
 
Note: Some iwi do not spell words according to the way they pronounce them, ie. ‘Whanganui’ is pronounced ‘W’anganui’.
 
 
Top 10 Mispronunciations
Tauranga – Toe-rung-ah NOT Tell-wrong-ah
Taupo – Toe-paw NOT Tell-po 
Waikato – Why-cut-or NOT Why-cat-oh
Aoraki – Ah-or-ruck-ee NOT Aye-or-rack-ee
Kai Tahu – Kai-tah-who NOT Kai taarr-who
Waimate – Why-mah-teh NOT Why-mat-ee
Whanau – Far-no NOT Far-now
Whangarei – Far-ngar-ray NOT Wong-a-ray
Ohau – Oar-hoe NOT Oh-how
Te Anau – Teh-are-no NOT Tay-are-now
 
Learning te reo Maori is easy, for more info see:
Korero Maori, Basics at korero.maori.nz/forlearners/basics
Maori Dictionary, Te Aka at: maoridictionary.co.nz
 
And:
MAOR110 Conversational Maori offered at the University of Otago.