Following on from the successful He Iti te Kupu: Māori Metaphors and Similes, Hona Black’s new book explores the rich vein of humour in Māori life. Want to know how to call a silly person a ‘roro hipi / sheep’s brain’, or tell someone to get stuffed in te reo Māori? The answers are all in Te Reo Kapekape (literally, ‘the language of poking fun’), with more than 130 humorous and unique phrases in te reo and English that can be used to describe people, events and actions. The sayings are divided into four chapters — above the hip, below the hip, other phrases, and idioms. Using a cast of characters and dramatised dialogue, Hona explains each phrase and gives examples and suggestions for use — whether to tease, crack a joke or just add some flair to your daily use. This book is a valuable resource for anyone wanting to spice up their te reo or English with some fun and cheeky sayings, and will appeal to both language learners and fluent speakers of Māori.

- Author of popular He Iti te Kupu shines a light on Maori humour - Contains more than 130 colourful and funny sayings- Side-by-side layout of Maori and English texts. Following on from the successful He Iti te Kupu: Maori Metaphors and Similes, Hona Black's new book explores the rich vein of humour in Maori life. Want to know how to call a silly person a 'roro hipi / sheep's brain', or tell someone to get stuffed in te reo Maori? The answers are all in Te Reo Kapekape (literally, 'the language of poking fun'), with more than 130 humorous and unique phrases in te reo and English that can be used to describe people, events and actions. The sayings are divided into four chapters - above the hip, below the hip, other phrases, and idioms. Using a cast of characters and dramatised dialogue, Hona explains each phrase and gives examples and suggestions for use - whether to tease, crack a joke or just add some flair to your daily use. This book will be a valuable resource for anyone wanting to spice up their te reo or English with some fun and cheeky Maori sayings, and will appeal to both language learners and fluent speakers of te reo Maori.

Updated edition of a classic Maori language instruction book for English-speakers, Maori Language: Understanding the Grammar aims to provide clear explanations of the main differences between English and Maori in the way words are used and phrases and sentences are constructed.

he use of te reo Māori in daily New Zealand life is snowballing, as is demand for resources to make learning the language efficient and enjoyable. This book helps answer that demand. Here in simple terms is a thorough guide to the building blocks of grammar in te reo, showing how to create phrases, sentences and paragraphs. After an introductory chapter on pronunciation and written forms of the language, 17 chapters introduce the main base words, particles and determiners that guide their use. The book employs real-life examples to illustrate how Māori grammar works day to day. Te Reo Māori: The Basics Explained draws on David Karena-Holmes’ decades of experience teaching and writing about Māori language. Building on his previous works, this updated and expanded approach will be an essential companion for speakers at any level.

Twenty-five years ago the Māori Language Act was passed, but research still finds that the Māori language is dying. This collection looks at the state of the language since the Act, how the language is faring in education, media, texts and communities and what the future aspirations for the language are.

In recent decades, New Zealand Maori have made huge efforts to reinvigorate their language (te reo) and the life of tribal meeting places (marae) as the twin cornerstones of Maori identity. Maori television and radio stations have been set up, a Maori Language Commission established, and language emersion early childcare centers (kohanga reo), schools (kura kaupapa), and universities (wananga) have emerged. But despite these efforts, te reo and tribal marae today seem to be in crisis: the number of children in kohanga reo is down 34 percent from its peak, only 15 percent of Maori children are attending Maori-medium schooling, and fewer and fewer people are participating in marae activities. Without a living language spoken regularly on the marae or in everyday lives, what does the future hold for Maori and for the nation of Aotearoa New Zealand? Focusing on the northern tribal district Tai Tokerau as a case study but with conclusions applicable across the country, the leading Maori scholars and elders in Maranga Mai! ask these key questions and pose potential solutions. The chapters provide personal accounts and stories, statistics, demography and policy questions, and present important challenges for current and new generations of leaders to resolve.

Based on a third-year university course Ray Harlow taught for a number of years, this grammar reference book is intended for people whose knowledge of Māori is at that level or higher - advanced learners, native speakers and teachers of Māori. The book provides explanations and examples of all the important sentence types of modern Māori. It guides readers progressively from the simple to the more complicated, starting with words and particles, proceeding through simple clauses and sentences to transformations of these and to complex sentences with elaborate internal structure.