Nga taonga tuku iho no nga tupuna

(Treasures handed down by our ancestors) 

 The Language 
A large number of Maori words have made the transition into everyday spoken English. Here are some of the more common ones you may hear on your visit to Aotearoa...

The History
Historical evidence suggests that the Maori people have been in the Canterbury region for over one thousand years. Although there is no written record of the early part of this, the oral history has been handed down through the generations...

Legend & Mythology

The Sky Father and Earth Mother	Night and Day
The Battle of Land and Sea	Maui
The Birth of the North Island, South Island and Stewart Island

Maori Cultural Attractions
Visit these attractions for an authentic Maori cultural experience

Ko Tane - the Maori Experience

Maori Tours Kaikoura

Katoro Waka Heritage Journeys

Tamaki Heritage Village

Te Kihi Tours

 

   Travelling throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand you will encounter a large number of Maori words and phrases in common use across spoken English. These are some of the more common ones:     

The Maori language - in everyday use

Maori Approximate English Equivalent Maori Approximate English Equivalent Hangi A 'roast' style meal, cooked on specially selected, buried, heated stones in an 'underground oven'. Laying a hangi - the preparation of the oven and the food - can take most of the day. The food cooks slowly and thoroughly, and the taste is deliciously unique. If you are invited to a hangi on your visit ... accept!  Hapu A tribe, sub-tribe or clan ... or a section of those Hongi A Maori style of greeting - nose to nose. The noses are pressed gently together - it can be interpreted as a friendly, welcoming gesture of acceptance. Many who don't know will pull away from an attempted hongi in the mistaken belief that a kiss is forthcoming. Whare A house, building, or dwelling - although it doesn't necessarily have to house people (see 'whare kai') Whare Kai Literally translated 'building for food' - can range from a separate smaller provisions storage type of building to a larger dining room style of building/room, normally suited to larger numbers of people  Whare Runanga Literally translated 'Building (or house) for meeting' - a meeting house for a tribal council or assembly. A sort of cross between a boardroom and an assembly hall  Whanau The family group - although it is probably a wider definition of the term 'family' than in the English language, and can include tribal members and close friends as well as blood family Marae Courtyard - the open area in front of the 'wharenui' where formal greetings and discussions take place. Often also used to include the complex of buildings around the courtyard  Pakeha A non-Maori or New Zealander of European ancestry   Aotearoa Literally translated 'The land of the long white cloud' - the Maori name for New Zealand    Whakapapa Ancestors or genealogy  Waiata  A song or chant as  in waiata aroha (love song) or waiata tangi (a funeral song or dirge)   Powhiri A welcome or invitation. When you visit a marae a powhiri is part of the official welcoming ceremony   Kia Ora  A general friendly greeting - "Hello", "Hi", "G'day"  Tena Koutou  A greeting - like 'Hello', used when addressing three or more people. In addresses to a larger audience the speaker will at times repeat the phrase three times  - this is to address people in the present, people in the past (antecedents) and people in the future (descendants). Tangata Whenua  The people of the land. The indigenous people.   Maoritanga  A broad term for the Maori culture - language, customs and history. One of the things which makes Aotearoa (New Zealand) unique.  Moko Traditional tattoing, more significantly of the face, but on occasion including limbs and or torso - on both males and females    Waka  A large canoe - suitable for carrying 10-15 people or more. Often used in tribal battles when it became a war canoe (waka taua) filled with heavily armed warriors Haka  Partly due to its widespread use in All Blacks rugby, the haka has become known as a confrontational style of dance. There are, however many different hakas, some danced prior to battle, some as a welcome. There are also a number of tribal variations to the haka       These are only a few of the more common Maori words and expressions you could hear during your visit to Aotearoa. To hear how they are pronounced please click the relevant word.

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History

The Maori people have been part of Te Wai Pounamu's (The South Island) heritage for over 1000 years - these are some of the historic milestones

Tangata Whenua - a timeline

1000's	Maori people first appeared in the Canterbury region, primarily in pursuit of the flightless (and now extinct) moa bird, a large ostrich-like bird, the biggest of which was over 3 metres tall and weighed about 250kgs. A very valuable food source for early Maori	1000's
1300's	Until this period the Canterbury plains were well forested. Fires were used by the early moa hunters to drive the birds from the forests. As a result only small patches of forest were left, more notably at what is now known as Deans Bush in Riccarton, near the centre of Christchurch, and also at Papanui. The Papanui bush was extensively milled after European settlement in the 1850's and, as a result, was completely eradicated.	1300's
1500's	Arrival in the Pegasus Bay area of the Waitaha tribe, who emigrated from the East coast of the North Island. News of the riches of Te Wai Pounamu (the South Island) filtered back to the North Island and, in the late 1500's the Ngati Mamoe tribe arrived in the region from Napier. After a period of conquest and intermarriage Ngati Mamoe became the predominant tribe in the area	1500's
1670's	Ngai Tahu, another tribe from the eastern North Island, arrived in the Kaikoura district and, within a relatively short space of time, began an invasion campaign which stretched steadily southwards. This saw the start of an elongated period of bloody conflict between the new arrivals, Ngai Tahu, and the incumbents, Ngati Mamoe	1670's
1700's	Ngai Tahu expanded and create settlements at Kaiapoi, Rapaki, Ripapa Island, Akaroa and Birdlings Flat. Migration continued until approximately 1830 and a thriving greenstone (jade) industry was established with links to the West Coast of the South Island through Arthurs Pass	1700's
1815	The first Europeans landed in Canterbury from the sealing ship 'Governor Bligh'	1815
1825 - 1828	Civil war erupted amongst the Ngai Tahu tribe. As a result the Maori population of Te Wai Pounamu was decimated - from approximately 5000 people the Maori population was halved as a direct result of the ongoing conflict	1825-1828
1830	The Ngati Toa tribe, also from the North Island, became involved in a series of skirmishes with the Ngai Tahu tribe. Ngati Toa, led by the famed warrior, Te Rauparaha, had a strong advantage in that, where previously combat was hand-to-hand, Te Rauparaha introduced armed muskets to the battlefield	1830
1832	Ngati Toa, under Te Rauparaha, captured Kaiapohia Pa - only 200 of the 1000 Ngai Tahu inhabitants escaped the ensuing massacre. In the same year, a fortress on Onawe peninsula in Akaroa Harbour, was captured by Te Rauparaha - the defenders were massacred.  As a result of these massacres and the earlier civil war, the Maori population in Canterbury was reduced to only about 500 people	1832
1833	The Otago chief, Tairoa, mobilises a force of Ngai Tahu who gather at Lyttelton Harbour, sail north and defeat northern tribes near Blenheim - this skirmishing continues for several years	1833
1840	Major Bunbury on the British ship "H.M.S. Herald" visits Akaroa collecting signatures of Maori chiefs for the Treaty of Waitangi	1840

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Maori Mythology

	As with most mythologies, Maori mythology is beset by claim and counter-claim. There is a close association with Polynesian mythology and versions of some of the myths are shared with other areas of Polynesia. This is a short selection of some Maori mythology   The Sky Father and Earth Mother In the beginning only darkness existed – Te Ponui or Te Porora (the long night) – but, as time went on the moon and the sun appeared to add light to the heavens. This is where Ranginui (the sky father) and Papatuanuku (the earth mother) lived, but all their children on earth lived in darkness – the sky still lay upon the earth, not allowing any light to enter.   Night and Day On earth the children of Ranginui and Papatuanuku argued as to the best way to bring about daylight. Tumatauenga, the God of War, argued that their parents should be killed to allow the daylight onto earth. His more moderate sibling Tane Mahuta (God of the Forests) was of the opinion that Ranginui should be separated from Papatuanuku to allow the light onto the earth. This was the course that was followed and eventually Tane Mahuta, with his mighty feet (roots) and superior strength prised the two parents apart and the eternal darkness lifted to reveal night and day.   The constant battle between Land and Sea The separation caused enormous grief to Rangi and his torrents of tears formed the oceans. The dissident Tawhiri (God of Wind and Storm) who had disagreed with the plan at the outset, followed his father to the heavens and, from there, wreaked his revenge by unleashing devastating storms on the forests of Tane Mahuta until they were all uprooted, and then turned his attention to Tangaroa (God of the Sea), who was forced to flee to the depths of the ocean. Tangaroa’s grandchildren were uncertain – the fish followed him into the sea, while the lizards and reptiles sought refuge amongst the rocks and fallen forests. Tangaroa’s resentment at some of his children deserting him is what causes the sea today to erode the land in an attempt to eventually re-unite Tangaroa with his children.      Maui Maui was the fifth of his parents’ sons and was born premature and very weak. As his survival was questionable his mother, Taranga, wrapped the foetus in a knot of her hair and threw it into the sea, thus giving Maui his full name ‘Maui-tikitiki-a-Taranga’ (Maui, the topknot of Taranga) Maui grew up with many magical powers and thus he was asked by his mother and brothers to slow down the sun so that they would have more daytime to fish, catch food, and complete their chores. While Maui’s brothers held the sun with huge plaited flax ropes, Maui repeatedly smashed the face of the sun with the enchanted jawbone of his grandmother. The sun lost so much strength that it could only crawl across the sky  - and has done since that day.   The birth of New Zealand’s North Island, South Island and Stewart Island Among Maui’s many talents was his prodigious prowess as a fisherman – when others returned home with little or nothing to show for their endeavours, Maui’s boat was heavily laden with the bounty of the sea. It was on one such trip with his brothers that Maui’s fishing hook caught in the whare runanga (meeting house) of Tonganui beneath the waves. After a lengthy and tiring battle Maui hauled the meeting house to the surface and with it a massive piece of land which is now known as the North Island – ‘Te Ika a Maui’ (the fish of Maui). Some legend has it that the canoe itself is now the South Island and today’s Stewart Island was the anchor stone of that canoe.