Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

kawau

1. (noun) cormorant, shag - a general term for several varieties of shags which are medium to large diving birds. They are all black or black on top and white below, with short legs and webbed feet, long necks, long hooked bills and mainly dark plumage. Commonly found near coastal waters, rivers, streams and lakes.


2. (noun) black shag, great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo novaehollandiae - largest shag, black with browner wings and tail and white patch on cheeks and throat. Facial skin yellow. Bill grey, eye green, feet black. Found on rivers, streams, lakes, estuaries, harbours and coastal waters.

kawau moeroa

1. (noun) driftnet.


2. (noun) driftnet fishing.

kawau mārō

1. (noun) fighting formation, concentrated attack - a military tactic where the war party advances in a triangle formation in battle to come to close grips and to split the enemy ranks. Also known as koau mārō, kawau rukuroa and kura takai puni.

Ko tērā kupu ko te 'kawau mārō' nō te pakanga, arā mō te matua he mea whakakokoi te tū whakamua, ā, ka whakaeke ana kāore rawa e hoki mai, kāore hoki e marara (NIT 1995:187). / That saying, the 'kawau mārō' (straight-flying cormorant) is about warfare and concerns an army division that forms a point at the front and when attacking never retreats or scatters.

Show example

Hide example


2. (noun) advocate, champion, promoter.

He kawau mārō a Hōne Te Atirau Asher nō Tūwharetoa, noho ai hei kaiārahi i waenganui i te Māori rāua ko te Pākehā (TTR 1998:4). / Hōne Te Atirau was an advocate of Tūwharetoa and played a leadership role between Māori and Pākehā.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: tautīnei, kaiwhakahau, kaihāpai, kaitaunaki, whakaihuwaka, aumangea

kawau pāteketeke

1. (noun) New Zealand king shag, Leucocarbo carunculatus - a large, thick-necked, black-and-white marine shag with large pink feet, blue eye-rings and yellow caruncles on each side of the bill. The upperwings are black with a white patch or stripe near the leading edge and sometimes a white patch on the black upper back. Found only in the Marlborough Sounds.


2. (noun) spotted shag, Stictocarbo punctatus - a slender grey shag with a broad white stripe from above the eye down the sides of the neck, yellow feet and a long, slender, brown bill. Lives on the coast and estuaries.

(Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 17; Te Māhuri Textbook (Ed. 2): 136;)

See also pārekareka

kawau tikitiki

1. (noun) spotted shag, Stictocarbo punctatus - a slender grey shag with a broad white stripe from above the eye down the sides of the neck, yellow feet and a long, slender, brown bill. Lives on the coast and estuaries.

(Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 17; Te Māhuri Textbook (Ed. 2): 136;)

See also pārekareka

kawau pū

1. (noun) black shag, great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo novaehollandiae - largest shag, black with browner wings and tail and white patch on cheeks and throat. Facial skin yellow. Bill grey, eye green, feet black. Found on rivers, streams, lakes, estuaries, harbours and coastal waters.

See also kawau

Synonyms: kawau, kawau tuawhenua

kawau tūī

1. (noun) little black shag, Phalacrocorax sulcirostris - a wholly black shag with a green gloss, long, slender, dark grey bill, green eyes and black feet.

kawau tuawhenua

1. (noun) black shag, great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo novaehollandiae - largest shag, black with browner wings and tail and white patch on cheeks and throat. Facial skin yellow. Bill grey, eye green, feet black. Found on rivers, streams, lakes, estuaries, harbours and coastal waters.

See also kawau

Synonyms: kawau, kawau pū

Kawau, Āpihai Te

1. (personal name) (?-1869) Ngāti Whātua; chief and warrior who helped establish Auckland with the sale of 3,000 acres of land for settlement but later resisted further sales. In this illustration by George Angus Apihai Te Kawau is seated.

kawaupaka

1. (noun) little shag, Phalacrocorax melanoleucos - the smallest shag. All have short stubby bills, but plumage can vary from black to pied.

(Te Māhuri Study Guide (Ed. 1): 24;)

Synonyms: pohotea, teoteo

koau mārō

1. (noun) fighting formation, concentrated attack - a military tactic where the war party advances in a triangle formation in battle to come to close grips and to split the enemy ranks. Also known as kawau mārō, kawau rukuroa and kura takai puni.

Kātahi ka rere ngā matua, ka haere rā i runga i te koau mārō (W 1971:110). / Then the army divisions advanced in the 'koau mārō' formation.

Show example

Hide example

See also kawau mārō

kōau

1. (noun) cormorant, shag - variation of kawau.

E kīia ana te kōau o te moana he kōau waitai; tō uta he kōau wai māori (TP 12/1910:2). / It is said that the cormorant of the ocean is a sea water cormorant; that of the land is a fresh water cormorant.

Show example

Hide example

See also kawau

Te Kākano 3rd Edition

New edition of the leading Māori-language textbook out now.

More info

The App

Te Aka Māori Dictionary is also available as an iOS and Android app. Download below.

iOS Android

The Book

Te Aka Māori-English, English-Māori Dictionary and Index by John C Moorfield comprises a selection of modern and everyday language that will be extremely useful for learners of the Māori language.

More info

He Pātaka Kupu

Te kai a te rangatira

He Pātaka Kupu is a monolingual Māori language dictionary, and was designed using its own culturally authentic terms.

Visit website

00:00