Kia ora koutou – for adults learning te reo Māori, and looking to build their vocabulary over the holidays – here are the vocab lists from four recent posts from 2019, along with links to the posts. Some of the vocab is repeated, as some terms keep cropping up in broadcasts about current events.

Nancy Brunning farewelled by Stacey Morrison on ‘Manako’

Kupu āwhina

ngarohanga                                               dying, death – literally, disappearing

kaiwhakaari / kiriwhakaari                     actor

atamira                                                       stage

hinganga                                                     death (can mean defeat in other contexts)

hoa taumuri                                               old friend, friend from way back

mareikura                                                   woman worthy of honour and respect

hanga                                                          appearance

He Māori te kawe i a ia anō                    she was Māori in how she went about her life

toki                                                               champion, expert

ūkaipō                                                          place from where one starts out, true home

tana ao taurikura                                       the world in which she felt at home

kaihautū whakaari                                     producer (play)

i tohe tonu ia                                               she persisted

māuiuitanga                                                sickness

tutuki tēnei mea i a ia                                be achieved / completed by her (stative verb)

ngā tau kua pahure                                    in years gone by

kiri parauri                                                   people with brown skin

whai i ana tapuwae                                    following in her footsteps

Rawiri Wright – the government’s decision about teaching NZ history in schools

Ngā kupu

whakataunga                     decision

hītori                                     history

mai rāno                              for a long time now

ngā kōrero o neherā       history (stories of what has happened in the past)

tumuaki kairiwhi               relief principal

hanga rauemi                    create resources

tāmitanga                            oppression, suppression

pēhitanga                            oppression, suppression

 

Kelvin Davis on ‘Hōkai Rangi’ – a new strategy for Māori in prison

Vocab

Ara Poutama Aotearoa                               Corrections Department

ngā take whakaherehere                           issues related to the prison system

rautaki                                                           strategy

pūtake                                                            cause, source

whai angitu                                                   achieve success

te tino ngako                                                 the main point(s)

puāwai                                                            flourish

te waka tiaki tūroro                                     ambulance

whai hua                                                         bear fruit, be successful

Te Porotēhi Oranga Tamariki (the protest about Oranga Tamariki)

Vocabulary

porotēhi                        protest

rāwekeweke                 meddling, interfering

i tua mai, i tua atu       in this context, more important

pūkōrero                        spokesperson

‘te ana o ngā raiona’    figurative – ‘the lion’s den’

‘te ara poutama’           the ascending staircase – in this case, the steps of parliament

auporo                            usually, a strike – here, protest

whakapau kaha             put in effort

hiki tenei kaupapa        raise this issue

ngako                               in this context, the main point

rauemi                             resources

ahurea                             culture

tuakiritanga                    identity