ngutu tere
1. (verb) to be untrustworthy, unreliable (of people).
Ko ngā tāngata e whai moni ana hei utu mō te rūritanga, e kaha ana, e ngutu tere ana hoki ki te kōrero i roto i te Kōti, ko ngā mea ēnā e riro ai ngā karauna karāti, ā mate ana te tangata kūare, te tangata tika (TWMNT 29/10/1873:134). / The people who have money to pay for the survey have the power but are untrustworthy when speaking in the Court, those are the ones who obtain the crown grants, and the person who is uneducated but the right person is defeated.
2. (modifier) untrustworthy, unreliable.
Ko te kaiwhakaatu ngutu tere e kōrero rūpahu ana (Ng 1993:145). / The unreliable witness is telling lies.
3. (noun) rumour monger.
Ka hoki tā mātou kōrero ki te whai kupu atu ki ngā hoa Māori kia kaua e whakaponohia ngā tini kōrero horihori noa iho e tae noa ake ana ki a rātou i ēnei takiwā. Tōna wāhi i hua mai ai, tōna tīmatanga i tupu mai ēnei kōrero, e kore rawa e āhei te rapu; puta kau ana te kōrero, nāwai ā, te hohoro o te ngutu tere ki te kawekawe haere, āpiti hoki ko tā tēnā ko tā tēnā i whakaaro noa ake ai, hei whakanui kau i taua kōrero (TMT 1/3/1861:4). / Our discussion returns to advise our Māori friends to not give credence to the many false tales that reach them from time to time. Where these rumours originate, it is difficult to find but after a time the rumour mongers circulate and embellish them.
