Te reo Māori on the farm
Whenua, pātiki, hipi, kōanga. Everyday Māori words you'll hear on New Zealand farms, what they mean, and how to say them well.
How to say them
- Five vowels: a, e, i, o, u. Every syllable ends in a vowel, so pāmu is pā-mu.
- The macron (the line in ā ē ī ō ū) means a longer vowel. It can change the meaning: kākano is a seed, kakano is a colour.
- wh is usually said much like an English “f”: whenua, whānau.
- ng sounds like the “ng” in “singer”, even at the start of a word: ngahere, ngahuru.
Pronunciation and some words vary between iwi and regions. To hear words spoken, Te Aka Māori Dictionary has audio for many entries.
Practise (Whakaharatau)
Cards come in a random order each time. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
Land and places Te whenua
The land, the two main islands and the features of a farm landscape.
- whenua
-
land
Often used in the plural for lands.
Te Aka entry for whenua (opens in a new tab) - Aotearoa
-
New Zealand
Now used as the Māori name for New Zealand; it first named the North Island.
Te Aka entry for Aotearoa (opens in a new tab) - Te Ika-a-Māui
-
the North Island
Te Aka entry for Te Ika-a-Māui (opens in a new tab) - Te Waipounamu
-
the South Island
Also written Te Wai Pounamu.
Te Aka entry for Te Waipounamu (opens in a new tab) - maunga
-
mountain, peak
Te Aka entry for maunga (opens in a new tab) - awa
-
river, stream, creek
Te Aka entry for awa (opens in a new tab) - repo
-
swamp, bog, wetland
Te Aka entry for repo (opens in a new tab) - ngahere
-
bush, forest
Te Aka entry for ngahere (opens in a new tab) - oneone
-
soil, earth, ground
Te Aka entry for oneone (opens in a new tab)
Animals Ngā kararehe
Stock and working animals. Many are loan words that came into te reo with farming in the 1800s.
- kararehe
-
animal (especially four-legged)
Te Aka entry for kararehe (opens in a new tab) - hipi
-
sheep
Te Aka entry for hipi (opens in a new tab) - remeloan word
-
lamb
Te Aka entry for reme (opens in a new tab) - kauloan word
-
cow
Te Aka entry for kau (opens in a new tab) - pūruloan word
-
bull
Te Aka entry for pūru (opens in a new tab) - kūao kau uhaloan word
-
heifer
Literally a young female cow: kūao (young animal) + kau + uha (female).
Te Aka entry for kūao kau uha (opens in a new tab) In our glossary: Heifer - uha
-
female (of animals)
Te Aka entry for uha (opens in a new tab) - hōiholoan word
-
horse
Without the macron, hoiho is the yellow-eyed penguin.
Te Aka entry for hōiho (opens in a new tab) - poakaloan word
-
pig
Te Aka entry for poaka (opens in a new tab) - nanekotiloan word
-
goat
Te Aka entry for nanekoti (opens in a new tab) - rāhui
-
flock, herd, mob
Better known as a temporary ban or closed season placed on an area - respect any rāhui you see signposted.
Te Aka entry for rāhui (opens in a new tab)
On the farm I te pāmu
Paddocks, gates, sheds and the jobs that fill a farming year.
- pāmuloan word
-
farm, to farm
Te Aka entry for pāmu (opens in a new tab) - kaiahuwhenua
-
farmer
Te Aka entry for kaiahuwhenua (opens in a new tab) - pātikiloan word
-
paddock, field
Te Aka entry for pātiki (opens in a new tab) In our glossary: Paddock - kētiloan word
-
gate
Te Aka entry for kēti (opens in a new tab) - taiapa
-
to fence off
Te Aka entry for taiapa (opens in a new tab) - whare mirakaloan word
-
milking shed, cowshed
Te Aka entry for whare miraka (opens in a new tab) - mirakaloan word
-
to milk; milk
Te Aka entry for miraka (opens in a new tab) - wūruloan word
-
wool
Also huruhuru hipi (sheep’s fleece).
Te Aka entry for wūru (opens in a new tab) - kutikuti
-
to shear, cut with shears
Te Aka entry for kutikuti (opens in a new tab) - hēparaloan word
-
shepherd
Te Aka entry for hēpara (opens in a new tab) - tarakihanaloan word
-
tractor
Te Aka entry for tarakihana (opens in a new tab) - heketealoan word
-
hectare
Te Aka entry for heketea (opens in a new tab) In our glossary: Hectare (ha) - tarutaru
-
grass, weeds
Te Aka entry for tarutaru (opens in a new tab) - kākano
-
seed, grain
Without the macron, kakano means colour.
Te Aka entry for kākano (opens in a new tab) - hauhake
-
to harvest, dig up a root crop
Te Aka entry for hauhake (opens in a new tab) - rata kararehe
-
vet, veterinarian
Te Aka entry for rata kararehe (opens in a new tab) - kaimahi
-
worker, staff
Te Aka entry for kaimahi (opens in a new tab)
Weather and seasons Te huarere
The same four season names our home page uses, plus words for the weather that rules them.
- huarere
-
weather
Te Aka entry for huarere (opens in a new tab) - ua
-
rain, to rain
Te Aka entry for ua (opens in a new tab) - hukapapa
-
frost
Te Aka entry for hukapapa (opens in a new tab) - hukarere
-
snow
Te Aka entry for hukarere (opens in a new tab) - kōanga
-
spring, planting time
Te Aka entry for kōanga (opens in a new tab) - raumati
-
summer
Te Aka entry for raumati (opens in a new tab) - ngahuru
-
autumn, harvest time
Te Aka entry for ngahuru (opens in a new tab) - takurua
-
winter
Te Aka entry for takurua (opens in a new tab) - maramataka
-
Māori lunar calendar
A monthly guide for planting and fishing; it differs between iwi.
Te Aka entry for maramataka (opens in a new tab) - Matariki
-
the Pleiades star cluster
Its rising in midwinter marks the Māori New Year, now a public holiday.
Te Aka entry for Matariki (opens in a new tab)
Values Ngā uara
Ideas that shape how many New Zealanders think about land, people and care.
- kaitiakitanga
-
guardianship, stewardship
Te Aka entry for kaitiakitanga (opens in a new tab) - manaakitanga
-
hospitality, kindness, care for others
Te Aka entry for manaakitanga (opens in a new tab) - tikanga
-
correct procedure, custom, protocol
Te Aka entry for tikanga (opens in a new tab) - mauri
-
life force, vital essence
Te Aka entry for mauri (opens in a new tab) - whānau
-
extended family, family group
Te Aka entry for whānau (opens in a new tab)
No word matches that yet. Try Te Aka Māori Dictionary or our farm words glossary.
A note on how we made this list
We are a farm business, not language experts. Every word and meaning was checked against Te Aka Māori Dictionary (John C Moorfield) on 02/10/2026, and the meanings are shortened to the farm sense. Many words carry deeper meanings, and local iwi and hapū may use different words. For language learning, see Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission). Spotted a mistake? Please tell us and we'll fix it.
Where these words come from
See the te reo Māori names of every farming region, from Te Tai Tokerau to Murihiku, in our regional guide.