Appendix C – Māori–English glosses

Ahitereiria

Australia (transliteration)

aho

horizontal threads, or weft

amo

upright post, support post (used in Tainui exhibition for Ngāi Tai amo)

arero

tongue

ariki

leader of the highest rank

aroha

compassion; love

atua

god; male god; female god; primal being

Capitalise when this refers to the supreme being of contemporary religious beliefs.

awa

river

awe

tassels hanging from just below the arero (point) of a taiaha (fighting staff), quite often made of feathers; tassels that fringe the outside length of the cloak

Also see hukahuka

Āwherika ki te Tonga

South Africa

Awherika

epa

front panel of a storehouse/meeting house

haehae

double parallel grooves (carving pattern); laceration of the body (the carving pattern is similar to that of the lacerations of the body)

haka

chant; posture dance; vigorous dance with actions

hāngī

pit oven

hangi

hapū

subtribe (this is the tribal grouping below that of iwi, ie, several hapū make up an iwi); group of related families; pregnant

hapu

harakeke

New Zealand flax; (specialist context) Phormium tenax

Haumia-tiketike

god of uncultivated foods

hei tiki

pendant in human form, pendant of a foetus

Also see tiki

heru

comb; ornamental comb

hieke

rain cape

Also see pake

hīkoi

march (used when referring to political marches); walk

hikoi

hīnaki

eel trap

hinaki

Hinenuitepō

goddess of death (one word, no hyphens)

hinenuitepo

hoeroa

whale-bone fighting staff

hui

gathering; meeting

huia

extinct native bird, Heteralocha acutirostris

Huia feathers signified chieftainship.

There’s no macron on huia, despite what the Reed dictionary says.

hukahuka

tassels; tassel of two strands (eg, of a korowai cloak); fringe; thrum

ihi

power; authority; essential force

irahanga

transsexual

irawhiti

transgender

iwi

(singular or plural depending on context) tribal group; people; nation; (for international audience) Māori tribal group

kahikatea

white pine; (specialist context) Dacrycarpus dacrydioides

kahu huruhuru

feather cloak

kahu kiwi

kiwi-feather cloak

kahu kurī

dog-skin cloak

Also see māhiti

kahu kuri

kaihautū

leader; (for international audience) Māori leader

On a waka (canoe), the kaihautū gives the time for the paddlers, hence the metaphor for a leader.

At Te Papa, this is the name for the position of the Māori partner in the museum’s executive leadership.

kaihautu

kaikōrero

(formal) speaker; speech maker

kaikorero

Kaimanaaki

Te Papa Host; maybe use kaiarahi too

kāinga

village; home; alternate spelling = kaenga

kainga

kaitaka

fine flax cloaks; plain flax cloaks with tāniko (fine embroidery or weaving in a geometric pattern)

kaitaka [FW1] parawai – horizontal aho (wefts)[FW2] 

kaitaka paepaeroa – vertical aho[FW3] 

kaitaka aronui/kaitaka [FW4] pātea – horizontal aho with tāniko bands on the side and bottom borders

kaitaka [FW5] huaki – horizontal aho with tāniko bands on the sides and two broad tāniko bands, one above the other, on the lower border

huaki paepaeroa – vertical aho with double tāniko bands on the lower border

kaitaka paepaeroa

fine flax cloak decorated on three borders[FW6] 

kaitiaki

guardian; custodian

kākā

native New Zealand parrot; forest-dwelling parrot; (specialist context) Nestor meridionalis

kaka

kākaho

toetoe stalk

kakaho

kākā pōria

bird leg-ring

kaka poria

kākāpō

night parrot; (specialist context) Strigops habroptila

Note macrons on all three vowels.

kakapo

kapa haka

(used for a performance) singing and dance; (used in a generic sense) cultural performing arts

Kapa Ōpango

All Blacks

Kapa Opango

kapeu

ear pendant

karaka

(specialist context) Corynocarpus laevigatus

karanga

ceremonial call of welcome; ceremonial calling

kauko

sides [of a cloak]

kaumātua

elder; (adjective) senior; (plural) senior people in a kin group

‘Kaumātua’ is both singular and plural.

kaumatua

kaupapa

principle; idea; foundation; main body [of a cloak]

Kāwanatanga Reipa

Labour Party

Kawanatanga Reipa

kawawhi/kauawhi

shank (the straight part of a fish hook)

kererū

New Zealand pigeon; (specialist context) Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae

Note the macron on the final vowel.

Also see kūkū, kūkupa (Far North name for kererū)

kereru

kete

woven bag, basket

kete muka

woven flax-fibre bag

kete tāniko

a bag with fine embroidery or weaving in a geometric pattern

kete taniko

kete whakairo

woven patterned bag

kiekie

We no longer gloss this word, but it can be described as a climbing plant in a sentence explaining what it is to the audience. It’s also been described as a tree-perching plant; (specialist context) epiphyte, Freycinetia banksii

kiore

Pacific rat

Kīngitanga

Māori King movement

kingitanga

koha

gift; donation

kōkako

New Zealand wattlebird; (specialist context) Callaeas cinerea

kokako

korowai

cloak with tassels

korowai hihimā – cloak with undyed tassels

korowai kārure – cloak with ‘unravelling’ tassels

korowai ngore – cloak with pompom adornment

kōwhai

(specialist context) Sophora spp

kowhai

kōwhaiwhai

painted rafter patterns

kowhaiwhai

kuia

elderly woman

kūkū, kūkupa

the name for kererū in Northland

kuku, kukupa

kūmara

sweet potato

kumara

kurī

Pacific dog

kuri

kurupatu

plaited hem on the cloak edge

māhiti

dog-skin cloak

Also see kahu kurī

mahiti

maihi

bargeboards of a wharenui (meeting house)

mako

shark-tooth ear pendant

mana

authority; power; prestige; influence

mana wāhine

centrality of women in Māori life (used for E Tū Ake: Standing Strong exhibition); pertaining to the authority, power, prestige, or influence of women

mana wahine

manaakitanga

hospitality; kindness to guests; respect for hosts

manga

stream

Also see wai

mangō/makō

shark (generic)

Other types of sharks identified in He Pātaka Kupu:

mangō pare – hammerhead shark, Sphyrna zygaena; also a Māori design pattern in kōwhaiwhai (painted rafters)

mangō au pounamu/mangō pounamu – Prionae glauca

mangō hapū/mangō tara – Squalus spp

mangō ihunui/tuatini – Notorhyncus cepedianus

mangō makomako/mako – Isurus glaucus

mangō matawhā – Carcharinus brachyurus

mangō pekapeka – Cephaloscyllium isabella

mangō ripi – Alopias supercilliosus

mangō taniwha/mangō tuatini/mangō ururoa – Carcharodon carcharias

mango/mako

mānia

plain

mania

manuhiri

(often plural) visitor; guest

marae

(the complex) communal meeting place, tribal community centre; (area for formal discourse) meeting house forecourt

Matariki

Māori New Year; the reappearance of Matariki; the season (May–June) when the heliacal rising of the star cluster Matariki (the Pleiades) signals for Māori the beginning of the new year

mātauranga

knowledge; learning; scholarship

matauranga

mātauranga Māori

Māori knowledge system

mātauranga Maori

maunga

mountain

mauri

life force; essential being

mema Pāremata

member of Parliament

mema Paremata

mere

short-handled bladed weapon

mere pounamu – greenstone hand weapon

moa

large, flightless, extinct bird; (specialist context) Dinornis spp

moana

sea; ocean; large lake

Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, Te

Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa is the Pacific Ocean or the South Pacific Ocean, depending on context.

Note the use of capitals and hyphens in this name. See the orthography of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori.

moko

tattoo; tattooing

In E Tū Ake, this was translated as ‘skin carving’ and ‘skin marking’. However, we’ve used tattooing before and will revert to that. For our audience ‘tattooing’ makes immediate sense. ‘Skin carving’ sounds like something quite different and ominous. There is no need to change the gloss because of the specific cultural practices and deep meanings that accompany moko. This is the case with many cultures in which tattoing is practised (though perhaps not Western culture). 

The word tattoo originally comes from the Pacific. ‘Tatau’ is the Samoan word for moko. ‘Tatu’ is the Tahitian synonym.

moko kauae

female tattooing; tattoo on the chin/jaw of a female (specifically worn by women)

motu

island

muka

flax fibre

muka patu

blunt stone or wood club used to pound muka (flax fibre)

Ngāpuhi, Ngā Puhi

Te Papa uses ‘Ngāpuhi’ (one word) because this spelling has been specified by the iwi rūnanga in loan and care agreements for iwi taonga. The spelling is also consistent with what is on the iwi rūnanga website, but not with the orthographic conventions of Te Taura Whiri, which specify ‘Ngā Puhi’.

Ngapuhi, Nga Puhi

Ngāruawāhia

township built at the meeting of the Waikato and Waipā rivers; home of Tūrangawaewae, the main marae of the Kīngitanga (Māori King movement)

Ngaruawahia

Ngāti Pōneke Young Māori Club

The Ngāti Pōneke Young Māori Club, one of the first Māori performing arts clubs in Aotearoa New Zealand, was established on 30 May 1937 ‘to try and keep the young people off the streets and arouse their interests in Māori culture’.[1] It was named by Sir Āpirana Ngata. Lady Pomare (wife of MP Māui Pōmare) was the first patron. Kingi Tahiwi, who set high standards in kapa haka and choral singing, was the first Chairman.

[1] This quote comes from an article by former club member Jackie Sturm. The link is on the Ngati Poneke 75 Anniversary Celebration Facebook page.

Ngati Poneke Young Maori Club

Nīhona

Japan, used by Steph in He mea kite, he mea rongo exhibition.

Niu Tireni

Māori transliteration of New Zealand

Niu Tireni was commonly used in Māori-language newspapers from the 1800s through to the 1960s. Paora used this transliteration in the Slice of Heaven exhibition. In contemporary contexts, we use Aotearoa New Zealand.

noa

See tapu, noa.

pā

(historically, depending on context) fortress, stockade, fortified village or position, defended settlement; (more recently, and sometimes pejoratively) settlement where most residents are Māori

For more recent contexts, check whether ‘kāinga’ (village) is more appropriate.

pa

pākati

dog-tooth pattern

pakati

pākē

rain cape

Also see hieke

pake

Pākehā

New Zealander/s of European descent; European New Zealander/s

Always capitalise this word in its ethnic use.

pakeha

pakiaka

aerial roots

papahou

treasure box (northern variation [PT7] of waka huia)

This is one word as per He Pātaka Kupu, page 586.

Papatūānuku, Papa

earth mother (always lower case)

spelled as one word as per the orthography of Te Taura Whiri

Preferably use the full name for first or single mention, Papa as the short form.

papatuanuku

pare

door lintel

parea

Chatham Island pigeon; (specialist context) Hemiphaga n chathamensis

paru

mud high in iron salts (used to dye weaving materials); dirty

pātaka

storehouse

patu

hand club

pāua

New Zealand abalone (with blue-green inner shell)

In materials lines, just say ‘pāua shell’, which is enough to indicate that this is a type of seashell – no need to gloss fully.

paua

pīngao

golden sand sedge; (specialist context) Ficinia spiralis

pingao

Pire Whakatika Ture Takatāpui

Homosexual Law Reform Bill

Pirimia Reipa

Labour Prime Minister

piupiu

flax skirt

pōhutukawa

(specialist context) Metrosideros excelsa

poi

balls on cords, percussive balls

A literal translation is problematic. Describing the poi and its function may be more useful.

pou whenua

boundary post

pounamu

Check the context for glossing pounamu. Its common gloss is ‘greenstone’ or ‘New Zealand greenstone’; the general geological name is nephrite (sometimes the term ‘nephrite jade’ is used). Other varieties are serpentinite and bowenite.

In Māori contexts, names such as kahurangi, inanga, and tangiwai are given to pounamu varieties.

Gloss simply as ‘greenstone’ if used adjectivally, as in ‘toki pounamu (greenstone adze)’, ‘kuru pounamu (greenstone ear pendant)’.

poupou

carved side wall post in a meeting house

pou tokomanawa

central support post (of a meeting house)

This is two words, see He Pātaka Kupu, page 679.

pou whakahaere

leader

In this context, a ‘pou’ is a person in a position seen by all. ‘Whakahaere’ is to organise and run an event.

pōwhiri, pōhiri

formal welcome; welcoming ceremony

powhiri, pohiri

puke

hill

Pukekohe

South Auckland township; home of the Counties Rugby Union (yet to win the coveted Ranfurly Shield)

pūriri

(specialist context) Vitex lucens

puriri

pūtātara

shell trumpet

putatara

pūtōrino

flute

putorino

rangatira

chief/s; leader/s; person/people of chiefly rank

Ranginui, Rangi

sky father (always lower case)

Preferably use the full name for first or single mention, Rangi as the short form.

rāpaki

interchangeable as a skirt or shoulder cape (context/image will tell you)

rapaki

raranga

weaving

This term usually refers to the weaving of mats and baskets/kits.

rātā

(specialist context) Metrosideros robusta

rata

rau

100; flat smooth blade; striking blade of a weapon

rauponga

alternating pattern of pākati (dog-tooth pattern) and haehae (double parallel grooves)

raurēkau

shrub; (specialist context) Brachyglottis repanda

raurekau

rauru

rauponga pattern in spiral form (possibly after Rauru, who is sometimes credited with being the first carver)

remu

bottom; hem; tail

reo Māori, te

the Māori language

Capitalise ’Māori’, but not ‘te reo’ (the language) preceding it.

reo Maori

rewarewa

New Zealand honeysuckle; (specialist context) Knightsia excelsa

rohe

tribal territory; tribal district/area; sphere of influence

roto

lake; inside

tāhekeheke

striped cloak

tahekeheke

taiaha

fighting staff; long-handled weapon

tamaiti, tamariki

‘tamaiti’ is a child; ‘tamariki’ is the plural form, children

tāne

male; man; husband; male partner

tane

Tānemahuta, Tāne

god of the forest; god of the birds

Preferably use the full name for first or single mention, Tāne as the short form.

Spelled as one word according to the orthography of Te Taura Whiri. Also see He Pātaka Kupu, page 844.

Tanemahuta, Tane

Tāne-nui-a-Rangi, Tāne

Son of Heaven

Tāne-nui-a-Rangi is a key Māori atua (god), who in some tribal traditions climbed to the heavens and acquired the baskets of knowledge.

Preferably use the full name for first or single mention, Tāne as the short form.

See He Pātaka Kupu, page 844, under entry for Tāne.
Note that other forms are Tānetewaiora and Tānemataahi.

The miromiro is also known as ‘Tāne te waiora’ (Petroica macrocephala).

Tane-nui-a-Rangi, Tane

tānekaha

celery pine; (specialist context) Phyllocladus trichomanoides

tanekaha

tānga whakairo

etching, engraving

Paora used this in the Buller’s Birds introduction.

tanga whakairo

Tangata Tiriti

post-Treaty peoples (ie, people who have settled in New Zealand since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, in political terms ‘by right of the Treaty’)

Use capitals for this term, no macrons.

tangata vs tāngata

‘tangata’ (person) is the singular form; ‘tāngata’ (people) is the plural.

tangata whenua, Tangata Whenua

(depending on context) original people [of the land]; the indigenous people of New Zealand; home people [of a marae]

Use capitals only for the Treaty of Waitangi partner, no macrons.

tangi, tangihanga

funeral ceremony/ceremonies

‘Tangi’ as a verb means to weep (and, of a bird, to call). Its most common use in English is as the short form of ‘tangihanga’ (funeral ceremony).

tāniko

geometric pattern

This term usually refers to a border, embroidery, or weaving in a geometric pattern.

taniko

taniwha

guardian spirit; supernatural being

taonga

cultural treasure; valued object; prized possession

Note that ‘taonga’ does not take a macron.

taonga puoro

Māori musical instruments (including wind instruments and percussion instruments)

There is no macron on ‘puoro’. See He Pātaka Kupu, page 713.

tapu, noa

tapu = sacred; restricted

noa = free from tapu; unrestricted; common

This is a basic, standard meaning for these Pacific terms, which are commonly used but quite often misunderstood. Tapu is the origin of the word ‘taboo’.

taraire

tree; (specialist context) Beilschmiedia taraire

taratara-a-Kai

taratara-o-Kai

parallel strips of raised zigzag notches; carving design

Paora thinks this should be ‘Kae’ as opposed to ‘Kai’. The pattern is based on an ancient legend about a villain known as Kae. But it could be a play on words, ie, kai is food. (Māori people get it.)

See He Pātaka Kupu, page 866.

tātua

belt

tatua

tauihu

canoe prow

taurapa, kei

carved sternpost of a waka (canoe; vessel)

tauri

collar

tawa

tree; (specialist context) Beilschmiedia tawa

Te Aurere iti

Note lower case ‘iti’ in this name.

This is the name of the model version of the twin-hulled sea-faring canoe Te Aurere.

Te Ika-a-spoken by

the North Island of New Zealand; literally ‘The fish of Māui’

Note the use of capitals and hyphens in this name.

Te Ika-a-Maui

Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa

Pacific Ocean

Note that Te Papa separates ‘Moana-nui’. The joined version, ‘Moananui’, is also acceptable, but we follow the style used in early exhibitions.

Te Wai Pounamu

This is the Ngāi Tahu name for the South Island. Where Te Papa has the discretion, use ’Te Wai Pounamu’ (three words, as in the New Zealand Historical Atlas) over ‘Te Waipounamu’ or ‘Te Wai-pounamu’.

Te Whare Rūnanga

The Tribal Council

‘Te’ is part of the name.

Te Whare Runanga

teina

Younger sibling of the same sex, ie, a girl’s younger sister is her teina

Also see tuakana, teina. Eastern dialect/alternative = taina. Make plural by adding macron to the first vowel = ngā tēina/tāina (younger siblings of the same sex).

tekoteko

gable figure

tikanga

(depending on context) customs; protocols; obligations

tiki

pendant in human form; pendant of a foetus

Also see hei tiki

tinana

body

tino rangatiratanga

independent chiefly authority; governance; sovereignty

tipuna, tīpuna, tupuna, tūpuna

(depending on context) ancestor; grandparent

Both ‘tipuna’ and ‘tupuna’ take a macron in their plural form.

The root word is ‘tipu/tupu’.

The iwi of the eastern tradition (Mātaatua, Takitimu, and Horouta waka) say ‘tipuna’ as opposed to ‘tupuna’.

Tiriti o Waitangi, te

the Treaty of Waitangi

tohunga

(depending on context) expert; specialist; priest; high priest; navigator

toi moko

tattooed preserved heads

tōī

mountain cabbage-tree

toi

toki

adze

toki pounamu

greenstone adze

toki poutangata

ceremonial adze

tongikura

tuakana, teina, tuākana, tēina

‘Tuakana’ is a senior relative – an older brother or male cousin of a male; an older sister or female cousin of a female. ‘Teina’ is a junior relative – a younger brother or male cousin of a male; a younger sister or female cousin of a female.

Both words take a macron in their plural form: ‘tuākana’, ‘tēina’. 'Teina’ is sometimes spelled ‘taina’ (eastern tradition –  iwi of Mātaatua, Takitimu, and Horouta waka).

tūī

parson bird; (specialist context) Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae

NOTE: All Māori names/words take macrons when used in English text. The macrons help with pronunciation and meaning.

tui

tukutuku

woven wall panel

(the art) woven lattice work; (the product) woven [wall] panel; spiderweb (note: work woven by experts was likened to that of a spider’s web)

tumuaki

head [of organisation or division]; director; [school] principal; in Te Papa, director, as distinct from the kaihautū

tupuna

See tipuna, tīpuna, tupuna, tūpuna.

tūrangawaewae

place to stand; place of belonging; location of identity

Te Marae at Te Papa is described as a ‘tūrangawaewae’ for all peoples. It represents the idea that everyone who visits Te Papa will be able to establish some vital connection with the museum, through its taonga or its stories.

turangawaewae

Tūrangawaewae marae

seat of the Kīngitanga (Māori King movement), in Ngāruawāhia (comes from a tongikura of King Tāwhiao)

NOTE: Throughout the Tainui exhibition, we made the ‘m’ in ‘marae’ upper case. This was an iwi request. Normally, I’d make it lower case.

Turangawaewae marae

turuturu

weaving pegs

Weavers would drive two pegs into the earth, using them to weave cloaks.

ua

upper border; thick twisted or plaited hem on the collar of a cloak

See Williams, noun 3, page 465.

upoko

head; leader

There is no macron on the ‘u’, except when referring to the iwi, Muaūpoko, or the Māori name for Victoria University of Wellington = Te Whare Wānanga o Te Ūpoko o te Ika a Māui.

wahine, wāhine

woman; female; wife; female partner

The plural form of ‘wahine’ is ‘wāhine’.

waiata

song; sing

waiata ā-ringa

action song; song with rhythmic hand and arm actions

waiata-a-ringa

waka

canoe; descendants of a canoe group; vessel; vehicle

waka taua

war canoe/s

waka huia

treasure box; treasure container

This is two words. See He Pātaka Kupu, page 1,055.

Also see papahou

waka whakamaumaharatanga

canoe cenotaph

On the death of important rangatira, some hapū (subtribes) would use a waka as a memorial and dig it into the ground standing upright.

wānanga

place of learning

Institutions such as universities and polytechs are known as wānanga today.

wananga

wehi

awe; held in awe

weka

woodhen; (specialist context) Gallirallus australis

wero

challenge

wētā

(specialist context) Hemideina crassidens

NOTE: All Māori names/words take macrons when used in English text. The macrons help with pronunciation and meaning.

weta

whaikōrero

formal speech; speechmaking

whaikorero

whakairo

carving

whakapapa

genealogy; descent; kin connections

whakarera

leaning parallel lines

whakarere

distorted

whakataukī

proverb

whakatauki

whānau

family; extended family; birth/delivery

whanau

whanaunga

relative; kin

whanga

bay; harbour

whare

house

whare tupuna

ancestral [meeting] house

whare whakairo

carved [meeting] house

wharekai

dining hall

This is one word. See He Pātaka Kupu, page 1,159.

wharenui

meeting house

This is one word. See He Pātaka Kupu, page 1,159.

whatu-aho-pātahi

single pair twine method[FW8] 

whatu-aho-patahi

whenua

land; placenta

whutupōro uniana

rugby union

whutuporo uniana