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New Zealanders or 'Kiwis' as we are commonly referred to, have two official languages; English and Maori. Everyone speaks English, however its nice to learn a few Maori words when in Aotearoa (NZ - the land of the long white cloud). Apart from Te Reo Maori, Kiwi's have developed a distinctive slang that in some cases will have you scratching your head as to what was just said. This coupled with a rather twangy drawly New Zealand accent can make life difficult for some. To make your travels slightly less confusing, we've also included some Kiwi slang that you will undoubtedly come across!


Online Translators and Dictionaries

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What do all those
signs mean?

zxcz let's get some information for here - some links to Maori Lnguage swebsites etc?

Maori - English
Translator 1

Maori - English
Translator 2

Kiwi Slang

kia ora - hello
haere mai - welcome
ka pai - thank you
kai - food
koha - gift
wahine - woman
ae - yes
kahore - no
Pakeha - non-Maori

Te Reo Maori

aussie - Australian
bloke - usually male, referring to a stranger
bob's your uncle - there you go
bugger all - very little (e.g. "I know bugger all")
bush - forest or scrub wilderness
dairy - small shop that sells dairy products and other incidentals
dunny - toilet
flat - apartment
gidday - hello
gizza - give us a
good on ya - congratulations
jandals - flip-flops, i.e., kind of footwear
mate - friend
togs - swim suit
wops - rural areas

Kiwi slang