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Idioms

Phrases

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Loan words

Historical loan words

tumu herenga waka

1. (noun) mooring, canoe mooring post, marina, port.

Ko ngā kaipuke, te huarahi hokohoko oranga mai mō Te Whakatōhea, i tahuna ki ō rātou tumu herenga waka (TTR 1990:60). / Ships, the means of commerce for Te Whakatōhea, were burnt at their moorings.

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Synonyms: herenga waka, tauranga, pou herenga waka, wāpu


2. (noun) notable leader, charismatic leader, influential leader - a figurative phrase for a strong, stable, highly respected leader .

He tangata nui - nui tinana, nui whakapapa, nui mana, nui whakaaro, nui aroha! He whare kōrero, he puna waiata, he tangata mātau ki ngā rerenga kōrero tuku iho i te Pō, he tohunga ki te whakaheke kāwai tangata, he poutāhū nō te Hāhi Ringatū, he tumu herenga waka. He kārearea topa ki tua o ngā rārangi maunga, he kūaka mārangaranga i runga o ngā marae, he kākā i waenga i te marea (EM 2002:232). / He is a big man - large in stature, genealogy, mana, ideas and charity! An orator, a fount of traditional songs, a person knowledgeable of traditional narratives, an expert in genealogies, a stalwart of the Ringatū Church, and a charismatic leader. He is a falcon souring beyond the mountain ranges, a bar-tailed godwit bobbing up and down (seen regularly) on marae, and a leader amongst the masses. (Part of a citation by Wiremu Parker of Ngāti Porou for Eruera Mānuera of Ngāti Awa when an Honorary Doctorate was conferred on him.)

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pou herenga waka

1. (noun) mooring, canoe mooring post.

Nā rāua i ārai atu a Ngāti Maniapoto i roto i ngā pakanga maha. Ka rite rāua ki te pou herenga waka ki ō rāua iwi (M 2005:244). / The two of them resisted Ngāti Maniapoto in many battles. Thus they were likened to a canoe mooring post for their tribes.

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Synonyms: tauranga, tumu herenga waka, herenga waka


2. (noun) chief, leader - a figurative term for a chief.

Tērā kē te kupu mō te rangatira, te pou herenga waka, e kīia nei e ā tātou kupu poroporoaki ki te rangatira e mate ana, "Haere, haere, e te pou herenga waka." Ki te whati hoki te pou i herea ai te waka, kua tere te waka, waihoki ki te mate te rangatira, kua marara te iwi (TP 3/1910:4). / There is the saying for a chief, the canoe mooring post, which we say in our farewell speeches to a dying chief, "Farewell, Te Pou Herenga Waka." If the stake to which the canoe is tied breaks, the canoe will drift off; similarly if the chief dies the tribe will be disunited.

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ūnga

1. (noun) landing place, place of arrival, act of becoming firm, moor (a ship) at its berth, berthing.

Te ūnga mai ki uta kātahi ka hāpainga te reo o te mano ki te hūrē, ki te mihi atu ki te manuwhiri tūārangi (TWMNT 18/6/1873:69). / When it berthed the thousands of people raised a cheer to greet the visitor from afar.

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Synonyms: ūanga, ūranga

herenga waka

1. (noun) place where a canoe is tied up, mooring, marina.

Ko ngā kaipuke, te huarahi hokohoko oranga mai mō Te Whakatōhea, i tahuna ki ō rātou tumu herenga waka (TTR 1990:60). / Ships, the means of commerce for Te Whakatōhea, were burnt at their moorings.

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Synonyms: tumu herenga waka, tauranga, pou herenga waka

pou herenga

1. (noun) hitching post, mooring post, rallying point.

Nā, ka tū he Kīngi ko Pōtatau - he rākau hei pou herenga mō te tangata, mō te whenua, mō te tikanga (TAH 17/1956:17). / So Pōtatau was established as King - a rallying point for people, land and customs.

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2. (noun) repository of knowledge, authority.

Haere atu, te kaumātua mōrehu i roto o Heretaunga, i te mea ko koe anake te mōrehu kaumātua, te pou herenga o ngā kupu o roto o te ao tawhito (TTT 1/8/1928:825). / Farewell, the surviving elder from within Hawke's Bay because you alone were the last remaining elder, the repository of knowledge of the ancient world.

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3. (noun) basis, reference point.

He pou herenga atu tēnei nā Tūhoe i ōna kōrero o tōna tāhuhu kōrero me ōna tūtohu rohe whenua. / This is used as a reference point by Tūhoe in determining the occurrence of events in Tūhoe history and the location of tribal boundaries.

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tauranga

1. (noun) resting place, anchorage, fishing ground, place to land, mooring, landing pad, terminal.

Kei te mōhio katoa rātau ki ngā tauranga tāmure, tauranga tarakihi, tauranga hāpuku me ērā atu ika o te moana (TWK 54:3). / They know all the fishing grounds for snapper, tarakihi, groper and those other fish of the sea.

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Synonyms: tumu herenga waka, pou herenga waka, herenga waka, taunga, okiokinga

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