Te reo glossary

Aotearoa: The te reo name for New Zealand.

Hapū: Kinship group, clan, tribe, subtribe - section of a large kinship group and the primary political unit in traditional Māori society. It consists of a number of whanau sharing descent from a common ancestor, usually being named after the ancestor, but sometimes from an important event in the group's history.

Huna kore: To not try to conceal or hide.

Iwi: Extended kinship group, often referring to a large group of people descended from a common ancestor and associated with a distinct territory.

Kaitiaki (verb): Guardian/Steward. Tangata whenua, whānau, hapū, iwi exercising responsibilities of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) inherited through whakapapa Māori.

Kaitiakitanga (noun): Guardianship/Stewardship. Tangata whenua, whānau, hapū, iwi holding this responsibility.

Mana whenua: Territorial rights, power from the land, authority over land or territory, jurisdiction over land or territory - power associated with possession and occupation of tribal land.

Maramataka: Māori lunar calendar - a planting and fishing monthly almanac. For most tribes the lunar months began with the new moon and for some with the full moon. The start of each month was aligned to the morning rising of particular stars.

Mātauranga Māori: Māori knowledge systems encompassing Māori world views and perspectives.

Ōhanga āmiomio: The circular economy.

Oranga: Wellbeing.

Papakāinga housing: Papakāinga translates as ‘nurturing place to return to’ and reflects a type of housing development that’s located on multiply-owned Māori or ancestral land.

Rangatiratanga: Chieftainship, right to exercise authority.

Tangata whenua: People of the land.

Te ao Māori: The Māori world view that acknowledges the interconnectedness and interrelationship of all living and non-living things.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi: The Treaty of Waitangi.

Te Waihanga: The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission. Translates to 'the cornerstone' in te reo.

Tikanga: Correct procedure, customary system of values.

Tikanga Māori: Correct procedures and system of values based upon Mātauranga Māori (Māori perspectives) and Māori knowledge.