A Collection of Māori proverbs for you to keep and use

Posted byContent CatnipPosted inBlog, Māori History & WisdomTags:, , , , , , , ,
This month, I have put together over 60 proverbs for Te Wikiote Reo Māori, Māori Language Month Mahuru/September, hope you enjoy it #TeWikioteReoMāori #MāoriLanguageWeek

The Māori language is one of the most beautiful languages in the world. Unlike other indigenous languages in the world, it has experienced an ongoing cultural renaissance. Every year in Mahuru (September) we celebrate Te Reo in ‘Mahuru Māori’ or Māori Language Month.

Although any time of year is a good time to learn some Māori words, so I’ve reposted this now. 🙂 A lot of people liked this post and so I’ve added a few more phrases in there.

Māori is actually not one language, and there is not really one Māori people, but many tribes (Iwi) and many different dialects and variations in the language according to what part of New Zealand you happen to be in. Many proverbs come from particular tribes (iwi), other proverbs are variations of the same thing in different words throughout the country. For the purposes of simplicity I have amalgamated these proverbs from different Iwi together. The background images used throughout the proverbs are all from Archives NZ on Flickr and are Creative Commons. The remainder are purchased stock images.

Feel free to download, reproduce and use these Māori proverb images for your educational purposes or personal Te Reo learning.

  • This month, I have put together over 60 proverbs for Te Wikiote Reo Māori, Mahuru Maori/September, hope you enjoy it #TeWikioteReoMāori #MāoriLanguageWeek
  • Aitia te wahine a te pā harakeke - Marry a woman who can be found in the flax. Marry an industrious woman with a strong work ethic. ~ Māori Proverb #TeWikioteReoMāori #MāoriLanguageWeek #MahuruMaori
  • Whāia e koe ki te iti kahurangi, ki te tūohu koe, me maunga teitei - Seek the treasure you value most dearly. If you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain. Let nothing but the impossible turn you from your goal #TeWikioteReoMāori #MāoriLanguageWeek #MahuruMaori
  • Awhato kai paenga! Edge-eating caterpillar! A greedy eater that goes from platter to platter devouring food at parties. ~ Māori Proverb #TeWikioteReoMāori #MāoriLanguageWeek #MahuruMaori
  • Mā tini, mā mano, ka rapa te whai - By many, by thousands, the object will be obtained. By joining together we will succeed, a great number will achieve what a few cannot. ~ Māori Proverb #TeWikioteReoMāori #MāoriLanguageWeek #MahuruMaori
  • He kākā waha nui - A loud speaking parrot. Describes a loud speaking person. Can be used to show approval of a loud public speaker than captures an audience. ~ Māori Proverb #TeWikioteReoMāori #MāoriLanguageWeek #MahuruMaori
  • Te tatau o te pō - The door of the night - Po/night is the place where the spirits of the departed dwell. Te tatau o te pō - Also a name given to Miru, the god expelled to the underworld by Tāne ~ Māori Proverb #TeWikioteReoMāori #Folklore #MāoriLanguageWeek #MahuruMaori
  • Ka haere te mātātatahi, ka noho te mātāpuputu- The wide mesh of the fishing net roams far, the narrow mesh stays calm and stll. Young people prefer to travel far, but older people prefer to remain in place. ~ Māori Proverb #TeWikioteReoMāori #MāoriLanguageWeek #Philosophy
  • E mōhiotia ana a waho kei roto he ana - One cannot know from the outside what is contained within. ~ Māori Proverb #TeWikioteReoMāori #MāoriLanguageWeek #MahuruMaori
  • He kahurangi te taonga, me i kore te papa - Greenstone is a prized possession, almost as precious as the earth itself. ~ Māori Proverb #TeWikioteReoMāori #MāoriLanguageWeek
  • E tūtakitaki ana ngā kapua o te rangi, kei runga te Māngrōa e kopae pū ana. Though clouds may block the sky, the Milky Way is still behind it. Even the longest road has a turning, even the longest night has a morning. ~ Māori Proverb #TeWikioteReoMāori #MāoriLanguageWeek
  • Ko taku reo taku ohooho, ko taku reo taku mapihi mauria - My language is my awakening, my language is the window to my soul ~ Māori proverb #TeWikioteReoMāori #MāoriLanguageWeek #language #words
  • Aitia te wahine a te pā harakeke - Marry a woman who can be found in the flax. Marry an industrious woman with a strong work ethic. ~ Māori Proverb #TeWikioteReoMāori #MāoriLanguageWeek #MahuruMaori

Published by Content Catnip

Content Catnip is a quirky internet wunderkammer written by an Intergalactic Space Māori named Content Catnip. Join me as I meander through the quirky and curious aspects of history, indigenous spirituality, the natural world, animals, art, storytelling, books, philosophy, travel, Māori culture and loads more.

9 thoughts on “A Collection of Māori proverbs for you to keep and use”

    1. Thanks for reading and for the comment my friend…sad that you never managed to work here, however I have a feeling you would enjoy a vacation visit here as there is a lot to see, the Māori culture is an incredibly interesting aspect of it and also the nature which can be turbulent and volcanic in places and very majestic in the South Island

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  3. This is great post, really resonated with me. Thanks for posting. I lived in NZ, North Island, for six years, in the 1970s. Learned Māori for a year at night classes taught by a Murupara high school teacher. This was before the resurgence took off. It’s the most lyrical language I know of.

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    1. Hi Rita it’s lovely to meet you and that’s amazing to hear you were there and learned Māori before it the big renaissance happened. Yes Te Reo has a wonderful poetic sound to it I agree 🙂

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  4. Pingback: Paraire 19 o Hepetema (Friday 19th September) – Life in Eureka

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