Te Reo Māori — Quick Cheat Sheet

Most New Zealand place names are plain descriptions. Learn a dozen building blocks and the map starts reading itself.

You'll hear these on the news and see them on official signage, often paired with the English name.

The verb kai never changed once. That's the whole trick.

Kāore pushes the sentence in front of it and swaps the tense marker. Everyday speech often shortens it to kāo or kore.

The distinction English lacks: "we" splits in two. Tātou includes the person you're speaking to; mātou leaves them out. Saying "kia ora tātou" to a room gathers everyone in — that's why it's the warm one.

Māori has two words for "my", and which one you use says something about the relationship.

The beginner's escape hatch: for a single possessed thing you can say taku, tō, tana and sidestep the category entirely. Nobody will blink. The rough rule when you do choose: if it has authority over you or you were born into it, use o; if you have control over it, use a.

Three degrees of "that", pinned to who's closest — a distinction English gave up centuries ago.

Match the register to the message. Opening with a cheery "kia ora" and closing "ngā mihi nui" on an email delivering bad news reads badly. Te reo isn't decoration on the envelope — pick the greeting that fits what's inside.

Many workplaces open a hui with a karakia and a round of whakawhanaungatanga. You're not expected to lead either; listening and standing when others stand is enough.

A pepeha places you by landscape rather than by job title. You'll be asked for one at hui, at kura, sometimes on your first day at work.

If you're not Māori: name the maunga and awa of the place you actually come from — the mountain and river of your own homeland. What you don't do is claim an iwi, a waka or a marae that isn't yours. Naming where you're really from is the respectful version, and it lands well.

A model of health you'll meet in New Zealand workplaces, schools and clinics: wellbeing as a house that needs all four walls standing.