me/mai/mei kore ake ...
1. in case ... may, were fortunate, to see whether, if it were not for, thanks to, it's just as well - an idiom praising the importance of someone's or something's contribution.
(Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 126-127;)
Me kore ake koe hei whakaako mai i a mātou. / We were fortunate to have you to teach us.
See also me kore ake, mei kore ake, me i kore, mai kore ake, me kore e
2. just like - this idiom can also be used to comment on the similarity of one person's talent to that of someone else.
Ira a Tarati e haka ana. Me kore ake te whaea. / Look at Dorothy performing. She's just like her mother.
Synonyms: anō, me kore ake, mai kore ake, mei kore ake, tonu, rite tonu