Te reo māori / māori language

We use te reo Māori wherever and whenever we can. The tour includes learning correct basic pronunciation, but to help you better understand our website, this list will help! Check out this link for a pronunciation guide: https://www.reomaori.co.nz/pronunciation

  • Awarua: Local Māori name for the Bluff/Murihiku area; the traditional name of this region.

  • Hapū: Sub-tribe or extended kin group within an iwi (tribe).

  • Iwi: Tribe; large kinship group descended from a common ancestor.

  • Kai: Food.

  • Kaitiakitanga: Environmental guardianship; caring for and protecting the natural world.

  • Karakia: A prayer, blessing, or ritual used to open, guide or close an activity.

  • Mana: Spiritual authority, prestige, influence, or standing.

  • Manaakitanga: Hospitality, generosity and care — making people feel welcome and valued.

  • Mana whenua: The people who hold ancestral authority over a particular area; local tribal authority.

  • Mana whenua: The people who hold ancestral authority over a particular area; local tribal authority.

  • Manuhiri: Visitors or guests.Marae: Tribal meeting place; a central space for gatherings, ceremony and community.

  • Māori: Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand.

  • Pā: Historical Māori settlement or fortified village.

  • Pōwhiri: Formal welcoming ceremony at a marae.

  • Rangatiratanga: Leadership, chieftainship, or Māori self-determination.

  • Rohe: Tribal region or area.

  •  Rūnaka / Rūnanga:  Local tribal council or governing body.

  • Tangata whenua:  People of the land; those who belong to and have ancestral authority here.

  • Te Ao Māori:  The Māori world; worldview, values, cultural lens.

  • Tikanga: Cultural protocols, correct procedures, customary ways of doing things.

  • Tino rangatiratanga:  Autonomy, self-determination, the ability to live and lead as Māori.

  • Whakapapa: Genealogy, lineage, ancestral connections; the foundation of identity

  • Whānau:  Family — including extended family and close kin relationships.

  • Whanaungatanga:  Relationship-building, connection, sense of belonging to others.

  •  Whenua: Land, homeland, place of belonging (also means placenta).