Here is a list of Mäori words that you are likely to come across and their meanings:
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Aotearoa
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Land of the long white cloud (the Mäori name for New Zealand)
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Haere mai
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Welcome
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Haere rä
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Goodbye
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Hangi
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Traditional way of cooking food, where the food is cooked in the ground
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Hongi
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To press noses, a formal greeting
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Hui
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Meeting to discuss a special topic
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Iwi
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Tribal people
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Kai
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Food
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Ka pai
|
Good
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Kia ora
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Mäori greeting, also used as an expression of gratitude and agreement
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Mana
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Prestige, authority, status
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Marae
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A Mäori communal facility (generally consisting of a meeting house, dining hall, kitchen, and ablution area)
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Me
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And
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Mihimihi
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Greeting
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Pakeha
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The Mäori word for non-Mäori people
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Rangatira
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High-ranking person
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Reo
|
Language
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Tamariki
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Children
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Tängata whenua
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(local) people of the land
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Tangi
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Funeral
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Taonga
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Values (spiritual, personal) and physical treasures
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Tapu
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Sacred
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Tënä koe
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How do you do?
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Te reo
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The language (Mäori)
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Tiriti
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Treaty
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Waka
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Canoe, vessel
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Wänanga
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University
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Whänau
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Family
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Whare
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House, meeting house on a marae
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Whenua
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Land
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