A Dictionary of Maori Words in New Zealand English 2005

maori words

This dictionary of approximately 1,000 Māori terms incorporated and used commonly in New Zealand English is prefaced by an essay explaining the beginnings of te reo Māori in English, noting how the term Pakeha was only one of a number of terms for early European New Zealanders, who spelled terms from te reo in a variety of ways. Useful in schools, the introduction sets out clearly the history and development of borrowing of terms from te reo, and the degree to which this borrowing makes New Zealand English distinctive amongst the major varieties of world English.

Dictionary entries include Māori-English blends and compounds such as kiwify, Kiwipop, Tapanui flu, Taradise, and wakajumper. Other entries vary from the familiar terms for flora and fauna, to the Māori names for places such as Napier and New Plymouth.