Word origins

• kapiaThe resin of the kauri tree from New Zealand, often in petrified form.
• kapukaGriselinia littoralis, a tree of New Zealand.
• karakiaMāori incantations and prayers, used to invoke spiritual guidance and protection.
• karamuThe feast eaten as part of Kwanzaa celebrations.
• karangaIn Māori culture, an exchange of calls that forms part of the pōhiri.
• kareareaFalco novaeseelandiae, the only falcon endemic to New Zealand.
• karengoPyropia columbina, an edible seaweed.
• karoroThe kelp gull (Larus dominicanus), found on the coasts of New Zealand and many other coasts of the Southern Hemisphere.
• karuhiruhiThe Australian pied cormorant.
• kaumatuaIn Māori culture, an elder; a respected older person.
• kauruA Maori foodstuff made from the stems of the cabbage tree.
• kawakaA New Zealand tree, Libocedrus plumosa.
• kawanatangagovernance; governorship
• kehuaA ghost; an evil spirit.
• kekenoNew Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri)
• kereruThe New Zealand pigeon (species Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae).
• kia oraUsed as a greeting.
• kiekieFreycinetia banksii, a high-climbing shrub of New Zealand.
• KingitangaA movement among certain Māori tribes in the 1850s, aiming to establish a status similar to monarch so as to halt the alienation of Māori land.
• kioreThe Polynesian rat, Rattus exulans.
• kirituhiMaori-style tattooing worn by non-Maori people.
• kiwikiwiThe kiwi, a flightless bird of the order Apterygiformes native to New Zealand.
• koaroThe freshwater fish Galaxias brevipinnis.
• koauauA small Māori flute, ductless and notchless, with three to six fingerholes.
• koekoeaThe long-tailed cuckoo, Eudynamys taitensis, which breeds in New Zealand and migrates to the islands of the western Pacific in the winter.
• kohanga reoA kindergarten designed to immerse children in Maori language and culture.
• kohekoheDysoxylum spectabile, a medium-sized tree native to New Zealand, related to mahogany.
• kohuhuPittosporum tenuifolium, a small evergreen tree endemic to New Zealand.
• kohukohuSynonym of kohuhu (“the tree Pittosporum tenuifolium”).
• kohutuhutuA tree of New Zealand, Fuchsia excorticata, bearing edible purple berries.
• kokakoA wattlebird of the genus Callaeas endemic to New Zealand.
• kokihiTetragonia tetragonioides, a leafy ground cover with edible leaves.
• kokopuAny of various fish of the genus Galaxias, endemic to New Zealand.
• kokowaiRed ochre.
• konekeA farm vehicle used in New Zealand that has wheels in the back like a cart and runners in front like a sledge.
• koniniThe New Zealand shrub Fuchsia excorticata; the berry of this plant
• kopapaSet of operating principles and ground rules.
• korariThe flower stalk of the Phormium plant, used as a weapon by the Maori.
• korimakoThe New Zealand bellbird, Anthornis melanura.
• koromikoA shrub, Veronica stricta, endemic to New Zealand.
• korowaiA member of a people of southeastern Papua who are hunter-gatherers and horticulturalists.
• kotareThe kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus
• kotukuThe white heron Egretta alba.
• kotukutukuA tree of New Zealand, Fuchsia excorticata, bearing edible purple berries.
• kouraA freshwater crayfish of the genus Paranephrops, only found in New Zealand.
• kuiaA Maori female elder.
• kukupaThe New Zealand pigeon.
• kumarahouThe plant Olearia colensoi.
• kumerasweet potato
• KunekuneA small, hairy breed of domestic pig that originated in New Zealand.
• kutuA body louse.
• Land of the Long White CloudNew Zealand.
• language nestA language revitalisation programme in which children and non-native speakers acquire the endangered language through immersion in special-purpose locations called 'nests'.
• mairehauThe plant Phebalium nudum.
• makomakoA tree endemic to New Zealand, taxonomic name Aristotelia serrata.
• mako sharkEither of two powerful mackerel sharks of the genus Isurus, having a large heavy body, a sharp nose and a nearly symmetrical tail, found in southern oceans.
• makutuWitchcraft, black magic; a spell or curse.
• mamakuCyathea medullaris, the black tree fern of New Zealand.
• manaakitangaA Māori cultural value of generosity and hospitality.
• mangeaoLitsea calicaris, a species of evergreen tree endemic to New Zealand.
• mangemangeThe fern Lygodium articulatum
• manoaoAny of the conifers in the genus Manoao, endemic to New Zealand.
• manuhiriThe visitors at a pohiri.
• MaoritangaMāori culture, traditions, and way of life; Maoriness.
• matagouriA thorny shrub, Discaria toumatou.
• matipoAny of various flowering plants of the genus Myrsine.
• MihanereA convert to Christianity.
• miromiroA tom-tit.
• moerikiAn extinct bird, Dieffenbach's rail (†Gallirallus dieffenbachii).
• moho-pereruA bird, the buff-banded rail.
• mohuaMohoua ochrocephala, a small insectivorous passerine bird endemic to the South Island of New Zealand.
• mokihiA Māori raft made from dried flower stalks bound together with flax twine.
• mokimokiMicrosorum scandens, a fragrant fern of New Zealand and Australia.
• mokopunaIn Māori culture, grandchildren, or sometimes children generally
• muruAn act of retaliatory theft among the Maori.
• nanuaSynonym of red moki.
• neineiThe plant Dracophyllum latifolium from New Zealand.
• NgāiDescent group marker used in iwi or hapū names beginning with T.
• NgapuhiA member of a Maori people (or iwi) of the Northland region of New Zealand.
• ngararaAmong the Maori, any of various real and mythological creatures of the lizard or crocodile type.
• Ngātilocal or tribal group.
• ngawhaA boiling spring.
• ohuA kind of rural commune established in New Zealand under a government scheme of the mid-1970s.
• ongaongaThe plant Urtica ferox, a nettle endemic to New Zealand with woody stem and large stinging spines.
• orihouThe shrub Pseudopanax colensoi, endemic to New Zealand.
• paepaeThe horizontal element on the ground at the front of a wharenui, serving as the threshold of the building.
• PaerataA settlement north of Pukekohe, Auckland, New Zealand.
• pahauteaA New Zealand tree, Libocedrus bidwillii.
• Pakeha MaoriSomeone of European descent who has adopted a Maori way of life.
• pakihiAn area of open land (chiefly in western parts of the South Island), especially when waterlogged.
• pakirikiriblue cod (Parapercis colias)
• papakaingaLand used for housing by a hapu or whanau group.
• papaumaSynonym of kapuka (“New Zealand tree”).
• paraparaThe tree Pisonia brunoniana.
• pararekaSynonym of king fern (“the plant Ptisana salicina”).
• parataniwhaThe herbaceous plant Elatostema rugosum, endemic to New Zealand.
• parawaiA fine Maori mat made of muka.
• patakaA Maori storehouse for food, typically raised above the ground.
• patikiThe flounder (fish).
• patotaraLeucopogon fraseri, a small prickly shrub of New Zealand and eastern Australia.