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Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

pāhake

1. (verb) to mature, grow up, become adult.

Ia tau, ia tau, ka pāhake haere tōna tinana (TWK 48:4). / Each year its body matured.

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Synonyms: whatutoto, whakapakeke, pakeke, taipakeke, tūpakeke, pakari, taikaumātua, koeke


2. (modifier) older, adult.

He maha ngā wāhine pāhake o Ākarana e mōhio ana ki taua wahine (TJ 27/9/1898:5). / Many older women of Auckland know that woman.

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3. (modifier) senior.

I te tau 1849 ko Hoani Ropata pāhake, arā matua o tēnei Hoani Ropata, i riro i a ia te tiamupiana o te ao (TJ 11/5/1899:16). / In 1849 John Roberts Senior, that is the father of this John Roberts, gained the world championship title.

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4. (noun) adult.

Kotahi pūnu nui o te rongoā mō ngā pāhake i ngā wā e maremare ana (TJ 24/5/1900:8). / One tablespoon of medicine for adults at the times when they are coughing.

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5. (noun) elderly person.

I nekehia a Te Whiti rātou ko ngā tamariki me ngā pāhake ki Rātāpihipihi whakaruru ai (TTR 1994:172). / Te Whiti and the children along with the elderly were moved to Rātāpihipihi for safety.

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tuākana

1. (noun) elder brothers (of a male), elder sisters (of a female), cousins (of the same gender from a more senior branch of the family).

Ko ngā tuākana ake o Tūmate Mahuta ko Te Rata, te Kīngi tuawhā, me Taipū, nō te tau 1924 tēnei i mate ai (TTR 1998:94). / Tūmate Mahuta's elder brothers were Te Rata, the fourth King, and Taipū, who died in 1924.

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tāhū

1. (noun) ridge pole (of a house), ridge-beam (of a house), main theme, subject of a sentence.

Ko Tākitimu te whare pai ngā waihanga, engari nō taku kitenga i a Porourangi heoi anō kua ngaro ōku mahara ki a Takitimu, kua riro katoa kua whaiāipo ki a Porourangi; i te tamatāne o te āhua, o te tū o te whare; i te rite, i te ātanga, o ngā whakairo, o ngā pou, o ngā pakitara, o te tungaroa, me te whatitoka, me te roro, me te matapihi, me ngā arapaki, kāore he rite i i kitea e ahau i te motu katoa nei, hāunga hoki ngā tuhituhi o ngā heke me te tāhū. (TP 1/7/1902:6). / Tākitimu was built beautifully, but when I saw Porourangi my thoughts about Tākitimu were forgotten and I fell in love with Porourangi; the youthful masculinity of the house's appearance and structure; the architecture and beauty of the carvings, posts, walls, the back wall and the door, verandah, window and the ornamental lattice-work, and not to mention the paintings of the rafters and the ridgepole.

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Synonyms: tāuhu, tāhuhu


2. (noun) direct line of ancestry through the senior line.

Ko ēnei tāngata, ko Tuamatua rāua ko Uruika, ko rāua te tāhū nui o Te Hekengarangi, te tino kāwai ariki: ko rāua te tāhū iho, tae iho ki ngā uri (W 1971:360). / These two people, Tuamatua and Uruika, are the direct line of ancestry of Te Hekengarangi, the senior line: they are the direct line down to the descendants.

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3. (noun) subject of a sentence (grammar).

I te rerenga 'Kei te kai rātou', ko te kupu 'rātou' te tāhū. I te rerenga 'E ngongoro ana te ihu', ko 'te ihu' te tāhū (PK 2008:810). / In the sentence 'Kei te kai rātou', the word 'rātou' is the subject. In the sentence 'E ngongoro ana te ihu', the subject is 'te ihu'.

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4. (noun) plot (drama).

Kātahi te tāhū whīwhiwhi, me whakamāmā pea (RMR 2017). / What a complicated plot. Perhaps it should be simplified.

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tuakana

1. (noun) elder brother (of a male), elder sister (of a female), cousin (of the same gender from a more senior branch of the family), prefect.

Ka kite hoki taku tuakana i a au e tū ana i te taha o te huarahi i tō mātau kāinga, ka whakatū ia i ana hōiho, kia piki atu au ki runga i te rore, ka noho i tōna taha (HP 1991:22). / And when my elder brother saw me standing at the side of the road at our home he stopped his horses and I climbed onto the lorry and sat beside him.

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Synonyms: piriwheke

ure tārewa

1. (noun) agnatic line, senior male descent line - male line of descent through the first-born male in each generation.

Ko tana taha ure tārewa i heke iho ia i a Ngāti Raukawa rāua ko Ngāti Huia (TTR 1998:165). / On his father’s side he descended from Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāti Huia.

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See also tārewa

Tari Kaumātua, Te

1. (loan) Office for Senior Citizens.

tāuhu

1. (noun) ridge pole (of a house), ridge-beam (of a house), main theme, subject of a sentence.

Ko te tāuhu me ngā heke, he meā hanga ki tā te Māori tauira (TTT 1/4/1027:566). / The ridgepole and the rafters were constructed according to the Māori design.

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Synonyms: tāhū, tāhuhu


2. (noun) direct line of ancestry through the senior line.

Ko te tāuhu o tōu kāwai whakapapa i ahu iho nei i Te Heketanga-a-Rangi ki ōu tūpuna nā rātau nei a Te Arawa i whakawhiti mai i Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa (TTT 1/2/1924:7). / The direct senior line of your genealogy comes down from Te Hekenga-a-Rangi to your ancestors who crossed the Pacific Ocean on Te Arawa.

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mātāpuputu

1. (modifier) elderly, old (of people), of advancing years.

Nā tēnei kāwai ōna i mana ai ia ki te noho tahi me ērā o ngā amorangi mātāpuputu o Ngāi Tahu, i ā rātou rūnanga (TTR 1994:38). / Because of his ancestral lines he was entitled him to share in the deliberations of the senior leaders of Ngāi Tahu.

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Synonyms: tuaukiuki, koroua, waikauere, korokoroua, pūkeko, tawhito, tūpakeke, kaumātua, tūārangi, aweko, ahungarua, tahito


2. (noun) elderly people, older generation, old folk, senior citizens.

Ka oho rā ngā mātāpuputu, ka noho toheriri ki te tū taikaha a ngā taitama nei, ā, nāwai, nāwai, tere tonu te ngaro atu o taua rōpū nei (TTR 1996:138). / The elders were taken aback and hostile with the assertiveness of the young men and after some time that group quickly disappeared.

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Synonyms: poupou

wahine matua

1. (noun) head wife, senior wife.

Tokowhitu ngā tamariki a Taiwhanga rāua ko tana wahine matua ko Māta Rawa o Te Arawa (TTR 1990:139). / Taiwhanga and his first wife, Martha Rawa of Te Arawa, had seven children.

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kaihopu āhua matua

1. (noun) senior camera.

kairaweke taputapu matua

1. (noun) senior engineer.

pūkenga matua

1. (noun) senior lecturer.

mana

1. (verb) to be legal, effectual, binding, authoritative, valid.

Ka mārō te takoto a te kupu kia rāhuitia ngā whenua Māori katoa o Aotearoa kia kaua ai e taea te hoko ki te karauna ki te tangata noa rānei, ā mā te Poari o te takiwā e whakatau kia whakaotia rānei ngā tuku e tārewa ana i te wā i mana ai tēnei pire hei ture kāore rānei (TP 1/6/1900:9). / The wording has been finalised that all Māori land be set aside so that it can not be sold to the crown or to an individual and the Board of the district will decide whether the sales underway at the time this bill becomes legal in law will be completed or not.

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2. (noun) prestige, authority, control, power, influence, status, spiritual power, charisma - mana is a supernatural force in a person, place or object. Mana goes hand in hand with tapu, one affecting the other. The more prestigious the event, person or object, the more it is surrounded by tapu and mana. Mana is the enduring, indestructible power of the atua and is inherited at birth, the more senior the descent, the greater the mana. The authority of mana and tapu is inherited and delegated through the senior line from the atua as their human agent to act on revealed will. Since authority is a spiritual gift delegated by the atua, man remains the agent, never the source of mana. This divine choice is confirmed by the elders, initiated by the tohunga under traditional consecratory rites (tohi). Mana gives a person the authority to lead, organise and regulate communal expeditions and activities, to make decisions regarding social and political matters. A person or tribe's mana can increase from successful ventures or decrease through the lack of success. The tribe give mana to their chief and empower him/her and in turn the mana of an ariki or rangatira spreads to his/her people and their land, water and resources. Almost every activity has a link with the maintenance and enhancement of mana and tapu. Animate and inanimate objects can also have mana as they also derive from the atua and because of their own association with people imbued with mana or because they are used in significant events. There is also an element of stewardship, or kaitiakitanga, associated with the term when it is used in relation to resources, including land and water.

(Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 238-240; Te Kōhure Video Tapes (Ed. 1): 6;)

I tērā tau i mātakitaki tātau ki te ānga haeretanga a Tiamani i a Rūhia, me te mea nā anō kua pēpē te mana o Rūhia (TKO 15/8/1916:8). / Last year we watched Germany drive away Russia and it would seem the mana of Russia has been crushed.

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See also mana moana, mana atua, mana motuhake, mana whakaheke, mana tangata, mana whakatipu, mana taurite, mana whenua, Mana Motuhake, mana tūpuna, mana whakaaio, mana whakahaere, mana tangata whenua, tuku mana whakahaere

Synonyms: hau, whakahirahiratanga, hōnore, mōtika, mārohirohi, maru, awe, hiko, ihi, awenga, , mana whakahaere, tino rangatiratanga, kaha, kōmārohi, marohi


3. (noun) jurisdiction, mandate, freedom.

Kua oti i a Waata Wiremu Hīpango i raro i te mana o te Komiti Nui o Whanganui ēnei tikanga e mau ake i raro iho nei (TJ 6/10/1898:14). / Under the jurisdiction of the main committee of Whanganui, Walter William Hīpango has completed the following procedures.

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Synonyms: mana whakahaere

Tuakana Kūmara

1. A senior kūmara: meaning older none the wiser.

He tuakana kūmara ahau, engari he teina whakahoki tupu koe / I am older but none the wiser, but you are the younger who restores integrity.

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mana whakaheke

1. (noun) inherited status, mana through descent - mana that originates from the atua and is handed down through the senior male line from the atua. Also called mana tūpuna or mana tuku iho.

(Te Kōhure Video Tapes (Ed. 1): 6;)

See also mana tūpuna

tapu

1. (stative) be sacred, prohibited, restricted, set apart, forbidden, under atua protection - see definition 4 for further explanations.

I taua wā ko Te Riri anake te tangata o Ngāti Hine e kaha ana ki te noho i aua whenua. Ko te mea hoki e tapu katoa ana te whaitua nei, pokapoka katoa ana ngā hiwi i ngā rua tūpāpaku (TTR 1998:82). / At that time Te Riri was the only person of Ngāti Hine who wanted to live on the property, because the area was tapu and the surrounding hills were riddled with burial caves.

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See also noho tapu, whakanoa

Synonyms: whakaihi, rohe, kura, whakatapu, puaroa, taparere, apiapi, rāhui, kōpiri, ārikarika


2. (modifier) sacred, prohibited, restricted, set apart, forbidden, under atua protection - see definition 4 for further explanations.

Kei te maumahara tonu ngā uri o Te Whiti ki te tūruapō, arā, te maunga tapu kei te tonga, kei tōna ātārangi he rākau, e pae rua ake ana i tōna peka ngā manu mōhio a Mumuhau rāua ko Takeretō (TTR 1994:172). / It is remembered by Te Whiti's descendants, namely that there is a sacred mountain to the south and in its shadow there is a tree with a branch and on this branch are two birds of knowledge, Mumuhau and Takaretō.

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3. (modifier) holy - an adaptation of the original meaning for the Christian concept of holiness and sanctity.

Otiia hei minita anō rātou i roto i tōku wāhi tapu, hei tiaki i ngā kūwaha o te whare, hei minita ki te whare (PT Ehekiera 44:11). / Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house.

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4. (noun) restriction, prohibition - a supernatural condition. A person, place or thing is dedicated to an atua and is thus removed from the sphere of the profane and put into the sphere of the sacred. It is untouchable, no longer to be put to common use. The violation of tapu would result in retribution, sometimes including the death of the violator and others involved directly or indirectly. Appropriate karakia and ceremonies could mitigate these effects. Tapu was used as a way to control how people behaved towards each other and the environment, placing restrictions upon society to ensure that society flourished. Making an object tapu was achieved through rangatira or tohunga acting as channels for the atua in applying the tapu. Members of a community would not violate the tapu for fear of sickness or catastrophe as a result of the anger of the atua. Intrinsic, or primary, tapu are those things which are tapu in themselves. The extensions of tapu are the restrictions resulting from contact with something that is intrinsically tapu. This can be removed with water, or food and karakia. A person is imbued with mana and tapu by reason of his or her birth. High-ranking families whose genealogy could be traced through the senior line from the atua were thought to be under their special care. It was a priority for those of ariki descent to maintain mana and tapu and to keep the strength of the mana and tapu associated with the atua as pure as possible. People are tapu and it is each person's responsibility to preserve their own tapu and respect the tapu of others and of places. Under certain situations people become more tapu, including women giving birth, warriors travelling to battle, men carving (and their materials) and people when they die. Because resources from the environment originate from one of the atua, they need to be appeased with karakia before and after harvesting. When tapu is removed, things become noa, the process being called whakanoa. Interestingly, tapu can be used as a noun or verb and as a noun is sometimes used in the plural. Noa, on the other hand, can not be used as a noun.

(Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 237-240; Te Kōhure Video Tapes (Ed. 1): 6;)

Kāore he kai maoa o runga i tēnei waka, i a Tākitimu, nā te tapu. He kai mata anake (HP 1991:9). / There was no cooked food on this canoe, on Tākitimu, because it was tapu. There was only raw food.
Ko tēnei i muri nei he karakia whakahorohoro i ngā tapu o ngā tāngata (TWMNT 3/4/1872:58). / The following is a ritual chant to remove the tapu of people.

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See also rāhui

Synonyms: poropeihana, apiapi, aukatinga, here, kōpiri, rāhui

whakapapa

1. (verb) (-hia,-tia) to lie flat, lay flat.

E kore a Kiki e puta ki waho, engari ka tōia te papa o tōna whare kia tuwhera, ka mate tonu iho te manuhiri, whakapapa tonu te manuhiri i te mate (NM 1928:145). / Kiki would not come out, but when he pulled open the door of his house the visitors fell down dead, they lay out dead.

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2. (verb) (-hia,-tia) to place in layers, lay one upon another, stack flat.

Ka whakapapatia ngā mapi ko ngā mea o Aotearoa ki runga. / The maps were placed one on top of the other with the ones of New Zealand on top.

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3. (verb) (-hia,-tia) to recite in proper order (e.g. genealogies, legends, months), recite genealogies.

Ko te ingoa o te whare, o te marae rānei, o Ngāti Rangi, ko Tāne-nui-a-Rangi kua whakapapatia ake nei e au (HP 1991:6). / The name of the house, or marae, of Ngāti Rangi is Tāne-nui-a-Rangi which I have set out above.

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4. (noun) genealogy, genealogical table, lineage, descent - reciting whakapapa was, and is, an important skill and reflected the importance of genealogies in Māori society in terms of leadership, land and fishing rights, kinship and status. It is central to all Māori institutions. There are different terms for the types of whakapapa and the different ways of reciting them including: tāhū (recite a direct line of ancestry through only the senior line); whakamoe (recite a genealogy including males and their spouses); taotahi (recite genealogy in a single line of descent); hikohiko (recite genealogy in a selective way by not following a single line of descent); ure tārewa (male line of descent through the first-born male in each generation).

(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 3; Te Māhuri Study Guide (Ed. 1): 13-14; Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 237-240;)

He mea nui ki a tātau ō tātau whakapapa (HP 1991:1). / Our genealogies are important to us.

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See also tararere, taotahi, whakamoe, tātai, kāwei, hikohiko, kōhikohiko, tāhū, ure tārewa

Synonyms: kauhou, tātai, kāwei, kaha, kāwai, kākano

Temara, Pou

1. (personal name) Ngāi Tūhoe. Educated at Huiarau Primary School and Wesley College. senior Lecturer at Te Kawa a Māui at Victoria University of Wellington (1986-2002) where he gained his MA degree. Currently Professor at Te Pua Wānanga Ki Te Ao of The University of Waikato. Renowned whaikōrero, haka and mōteatea expert who frequently performs kawanga whare and is an expert on tikanga. Teacher for Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo.

kāhui minita

1. (loan) (noun) cabinet - the committee of senior ministers responsible for controlling government policy.

Hui ai te kāhui minita i te whare pāremata i ia wiki, i ia wiki. / Cabinet meets in parliament each week.

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See also rūnanga o te kāwanatanga

Synonyms: rūnanga o te kāwanatanga

rūnanga o te kāwanatanga

1. (loan) cabinet - the committee of senior ministers responsible for controlling government policy.

Nā te pirimia ngā minita o te rūnanga o te kāwanatanga i whiriwhiri. / The prime minister selected the ministers of cabinet.

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Synonyms: kāhui minita

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