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# maori

«maori» in Mova's school dictionary: **the Indigenous people of New Zealand (Aotearoa), who were…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 3 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a Māori, Māori); adjective (Māori); the language (Māori, te reo Māori)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Māori are the Indigenous people of New Zealand (Aotearoa), who were living there long before Europeans arrived. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maori/#m1)

2) Māori (te reo Māori) is also their language. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maori/#m2)

3) As an adjective, Māori describes things belonging to this people and culture, like Māori songs and art. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maori/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In New Zealand schools, children learn te reo Māori words and greetings (kia ora = hello, whānau = family, kai = food), songs (waiata), the haka, and Māori stories and history, such as the Treaty of Waitangi. The All Blacks rugby team performs a haka. Māori tradition says their ancestors came in great voyaging canoes (waka) from Polynesia. Phrases: «te reo Māori», «Māori culture», «a Māori legend», «kia ora».

### examples

- Māori are the first people of New Zealand. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maori/#x1)
- «Kia ora» is a Māori greeting. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maori/#x2)
- We learned a Māori song at school. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maori/#x3)
- The rugby team performed a haka before the game. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maori/#x4)
- Many places in New Zealand have Māori names. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maori/#x5)
- Te reo Māori is one of New Zealand's official languages. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maori/#x6)
- My friend told us a Māori legend about the god Māui. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maori/#x7)
- The Māori carving was made from wood. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maori/#x8)

### note

Written with a capital M and, properly, with a long mark over the a: «Māori». The plural is usually also «Māori», not «Māoris». Pronounced roughly «MAH-oh-ree» (or «MOW-ree»). Aotearoa is the Māori name for New Zealand.

### In the corpora

- ["Kia ora" is a Maori greeting used in New Zealand that means hello and good health.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/124-handshakes-waves-and-local-customs/15/)
- [The hongi is a traditional Maori greeting in New Zealand, done when you are invited.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/221-respect-greetings-goodbyes-and-the-table/7/)
- [The hongi is a traditional Maori greeting in New Zealand: people press noses and foreheads to share breath, done when invited.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/296-greetings-goodbyes-and-table-manners/10/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «maori» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maori/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.