Maori language in New Zealand

Maori language

Maori language (called te reo Maori) has suffered some hard times since the arrival of the British in the 19th Century. Through necessity, the predominant language in the early days of colonisation was te reo, but as more and more English speakers arrived it became largely confined to Maori communities.

Facing the real possibility of losing the language completely following on from post-war urbanisation, initiatives such as the opening of Kohanga Reo (Maori language pre-schools) were put in place in the 1980s to help preserve and expand its use. Today over 130,000 people of Maori ethnicity can speak and understand the language in New Zealand.

Kia ora!

Integration of the language was faltering, however, until an interesting controversy pushed the issue into the public domain. In 1984 a national toll calls operator by the name of Naida Glavish (of Maori descent of Ngati Whatua) began answering calls with the Maori greeting 'kia ora' and eventually lost her job after refusing to use a formal English greeting instead.

The incident caused widespread public debate and the toll exchanges became blocked with calls to speak with the 'kia ora lady'. Such was the outcry that the Prime Minister at the time was forced to intervene. Glavish was reinstated and the kia ora greeting was cemented as a perfectly acceptable, often preferable, salutation.

An official language

After a hearing in 1985, the Maori language, under the Maori Language Act 1987, was made an official language of New Zealand, protected under the Treaty of Waitangi.

Today, many words of the Maori language are recognised by the vast majority of Kiwis and are used commonly even by people who have no thorough understanding of the language. Some have even been adopted by the broader English language, such as 'taboo', which stems from the Maori word 'tapu' meaning sacred or not to be touched.

Commonly used Maori words:

• Kia ora – hello
• Haere mai – welcome
• Haka – a chant with dance used before a challenge (internationally seen at rugby matches)
• Waiata – a song or chant
• Koha – a gift or donation
• Tangi – to cry or mourn (commonly used to describe a funeral)
• Whare paku – toilet
• Kai – food
• Whakapapa – genealogy, ancestral history
• Iwi – people and nation although in modern times it has come to mean 'tribe'
• Aroha – love and/or compassion
• Whanau – extended family (if you are asked to a barbecue, it is quite likely you will be asked to bring the 'whanau'!)
• Puku – belly
• Hui – a meeting of any kind
• Pakeha – the word Maori use to describe people of European descent