2. (modifier) expert, clever, professional.
Ko te whai a taua kāreti he whakatakatū i ngā taitama Māori mō ngā mahi ngaio (TTR 1996:277). / That college aimed to prepare Māori youths for professional careers.
Synonyms: ringa ngaio, ringa rehe, ringa whaiutu, mātanga
3. (noun) professional, academic.
Heoi he torutoru noa ngā ngaio Māori i roto i te rautau 1900, ā, ko te nuinga he kaiako kura, he tāpuhi, minita hoki (Te Ara 2016). / However, through the 20th century there were few Māori professionals, and the majority were teachers, nurses and the ministers.
Synonyms: mātauranga
4. (noun) ngaio, Myoporum laetum - a small tree with poisonous leaves and fruit. The leaves have pale, dot-like oil glands which are visible when held up to the light. The timber is white. The small white flowers have purple markings. Found throughout coastal areas of the North and South Islands, except for Southland.
Titiro ki taku pā ngaio ki runga o Moe-atoa (JPS 1908:119). / Look at my grove of ngaio trees on Moe-atoa.
5. (noun) horsehair worm, Gordius spp. - a parasitic worm found throughout the world. In Aotearoa/New Zealand it infests kākā, kōkopu, inanga and wētā. The adult worm is a free-living animal. It is hairlike, very long and very thin.
