NCEA Level 3 Te Reo Māori flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Whakarongo

The listening domain of the exam: understanding spoken Māori in formal and informal registers, identifying purpose, attitude and key detail from authentic audio passages.

Whaikōrero

Formal oratory delivered on a marae, structured with tauparapara, mihi, whakapapa and kaupapa. Recognising its formulae helps you follow formal spoken passages in listening tasks.

Karanga

The high-pitched call by women that welcomes visitors onto a marae. It opens formal encounters and is a recognisable marker of formal register in listening passages.

Tauparapara

A traditional chant-like opening to a formal speech, often allusive and ancestral. Hearing one signals that a whaikōrero is beginning, which frames the speaker's purpose.

Mihi

A greeting or acknowledgement, in speech or writing. Formal mihi follow fixed formulae acknowledging hosts, the dead, and the living before the main topic begins.

Wairua o te kōrero

The spirit or tone of a speech: whether it is sorrowful, celebratory, persuasive or critical. Level 3 listening questions often ask you to identify this rather than facts alone.

'Engari' and 'heoi anō'

Conjunctions signalling contrast or qualification. 'Engari' means 'but'; 'heoi anō' means 'however' or 'so be it'. Hearing them warns that the speaker is shifting position.

Kupu ā-whare

Everyday or colloquial vocabulary used in informal conversation, as opposed to formal oratory vocabulary. Register shifts between the two signal changes in tone or audience.

Māori vowel length

Vowel length, marked by macrons in writing, is audible in speech and distinguishes words, such as 'tāne' (man) versus 'tane' (husband, in some dialects). Mishearing it changes meaning.

Kōrero

The speaking domain: delivering a prepared speech and sustaining a conversation in Māori. Assessment weighs content, structure, fluency, pronunciation and interactive response.

Pepeha

A personal introduction naming one's mountain, river, tribe, ancestor and marae. It is a core component of mihi and demonstrates identity and connection in formal speech.

'Tēnā koutou katoa'

A standard formal greeting to three or more people: 'greetings to you all'. It is the conventional opening line of a mihi or formal speech.

'Kua hinga te tōtara'

A formal metaphor meaning a great leader has died: 'the tōtara has fallen'. It appears in mihi acknowledging the dead before the living are greeted.

'Nō reira'

A concluding or inferential connector meaning 'therefore' or 'and so'. It signals the speaker is drawing a conclusion or closing a section of speech.

'Waihoki'

A connector meaning 'as well' or 'likewise'. It adds a further point and is used to build cohesion in extended spoken or written Māori.

'Ka mutu'

An idiom meaning 'and that's that' or 'furthermore', often used to close a point emphatically. It marks the end of a line of argument in speech.

Agent marker 'e'

In passive constructions, 'e' introduces the agent: 'I tuhia te reta e au' means 'the letter was written by me'. Misreading it reverses who performed the action.

Pānui

The reading domain: understanding written Māori texts such as pūrākau, reports, letters and articles, and identifying purpose, audience and implied meaning.

Pūrākau

A traditional narrative or story, often explaining origins or conveying values. It typically uses past markers 'i' and 'ka' and formulaic openings.

'Kua' versus 'i te'

'Kua' marks a completed action with present relevance; 'i te' marks past progressive. A shift between them in a narrative signals a change in time reference.

Relative clause with 'ai'

A clause where 'ai' resumes an oblique argument, as in 'te tangata i haere mai ai' (the person who came). It modifies the preceding noun.

a/o possession categories

'A' possession covers movable, acquired or active relationships ('tāku pukapuka'); 'o' covers inherent, ancestral and passive ones ('tōku whare'). The choice reveals the relationship.

Directional particles

'Mai' means toward the speaker, 'atu' away, 'ake' upward or onward, and 'iho' downward. They change the meaning of verbs such as 'haere mai' and 'haere atu'.

'He' and 'ko' sentences

'He' introduces an indefinite nominal sentence ('He kaiako ia' - she is a teacher); 'ko' introduces a definite one ('Ko Tāne tērā' - that is Tāne).

Tuhituhi

The writing domain: producing coherent Māori text in an appropriate register, with accurate grammar, macrons, punctuation and structure for a stated audience and purpose.

Macron convention

Macrons mark long vowels (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū). Where macrons are unavailable, doubled vowels (aa, ee) are accepted, but the two conventions must not be mixed in one text.

Passive ending '-tia'

A common passive suffix, as in 'tuhia' (written) or 'kōrerotia' (spoken). Passive sentences place the object first and the agent after 'e'.

'Nā te mea'

A conjunction meaning 'because'. Alternatives include 'nō te mea' and 'i te mea'. They introduce reasons and are essential for argumentative writing.

'Hei' for purpose

A particle introducing purpose or future use, as in 'hei āwhina i a koe' (to help you). It is distinct from 'he' (a/an) and 'kei' (at, or present tense marker).

'E ai ki a ...'

A phrase meaning 'according to ...', used to report another person's statement or view. It is useful for citing sources in formal writing.

'Nāku, nā'

A formal letter closing meaning 'from me, from ...', followed by the writer's name. It mirrors the opening mihi in formal correspondence.

Pronoun referent tracking

Ensuring 'ia', 'rātou', 'tēnei' and 'tērā' clearly refer to one antecedent. Ambiguous pronouns weaken cohesion and are penalised in extended writing.