Kia ora is everywhere, but what exactly does it mean?

Friday, 15 September 2017

How to say some of New Zealand's most commonly mispronounced place names

Kia ora.

They're the few Māori words most of us hear everyday.

Kia ora. It's the name of Air New Zealand's in-flight magazine, and the name a World War I New Zealand tank.

Sam Warburton of the Lions receives a hongi from a Maori Chief. But you wouldn't say kia ora in a formal setting.

Kia ora. The head of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori wants everyone to know it doesn't mean 'hello'.

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'It's actually more of a 'gidday', I wouldn't say that to elders or if I was meeting someone for the first time,' chief executive Ngahiwi Apanui says.

You can use the phrase to wish someone well, thank someone, greet a mate or sign off an email.

Ngahiwi Apanui, the Tumuaki (Chief Executive) of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori.

'It also means to wish somebody life and health,' Apanui says. Ora literally translates to life and kia (technically speaking) is a future tense particle, meaning something will happen.

Kia ora rā is a nice way to say thanks – you can start or finish emails with it.

'If someone corrects you or does you a favour, we go 'kia ora rā',' Apanui says. Rā can mean sun or day, but in this context it's implying distance from the speaker like saying 'by that'.

The phrase is pretty versatile, Apanui says. It's chucked around everywhere, and he reckons that's a good thing.

'If kia ora is a way in to te reo Māori, even if it's the only phrase people use, that's better than using nothing. But it's really good if people are clear what that little bit means.'