Kia Ora is a greeting many people outside of New Zealand are familiar with. It can mean a lot of things, too! Kiwis use it to say hello, good morning, good luck, and take care. It's essentially an all-encompassing way to wish someone well.
The Māori phrase, “Kia ora”, is the informal greeting for 'Hello'. It can also mean 'Thank you' or be said as a form of acknowledgement.
Kia ora is used as an informal greeting throughout New Zealand. You will hear everyone from the Prime Minister to the local shopkeeper using it in day-to-day conversation. Use kia ora to wish someone well as a greeting or farewell, to say thank you, to affirm support, or to say a friendly 'cheers'.
Haere Mai (high-reh-my) – welcome.
Although the term "bogan" is understood across Australia and New Zealand, certain regions have their own slang terms for the same group of people. These terms include: "Bevan" or "Bev" in Queensland. "Booner" in Canberra.
KIWI SLANG
Get familiar with some of the most common phrases before you travel: Chilly bin – the Kiwi word for Esky.
1. Kia ora. Kia ora is the easiest and most useful Māori phrase you can deploy to impress the Kiwis around you. Mostly used as a greeting, it can also be used to thank someone for a kind deed.
They're both English-speaking countries tucked way down at the bottom of the earth, where friendly people play rugby and wander around saying 'G'day mate' in Australia or 'Kia ora' in New Zealand.
The 'Hongi' is a traditional Maori greeting in New Zealand used by the Maori people. To hongi you press your nose and forehead together with the nose and forehead of the person you are greeting.
Kia ora – hello, goodbye, thank you.
In the early 1900s, cartoonists started to use images of the kiwi bird to represent New Zealand as a country. During the First World War, New Zealand soldiers were referred to as 'kiwis', and the nickname stuck. Eventually, the term Kiwi was attributed to all New Zealanders, who proudly embraced the moniker.
It is widely used alongside other more formal Māori greetings. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage website NZ History lists it as one of 100 Māori words every New Zealander should know, and lists the following definition: "Hi!, G'day! (general informal greeting)".
Giving a verbal 'Thank you' is politer than simply nodding your head or smiling. Although you may hear New Zealanders swearing often, it is best to avoid swearing in public around strangers, in front of children or in professional settings. Men are not expected to open doors for women.
McDonald's Restaurants (New Zealand) Limited (also using the trading name "Macca's") is the New Zealand subsidiary of the international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's.
Jandals: The Aussies call these thongs, which are underwear in NZ. Vivid: Nuh-uh, it's a permanent marker. Weed-eater: Of all things, they call this a whipper snipper.
Chur. The meaning of chur is essentially thank you. You can use this classic Kiwi slang to show gratitude or appreciation. As explained above, it can also mean "sweet as" or "that's awesome".
Here in New Zealand, a biscuit is a cookie.
No doubt a holdover from British influence, what we would call the “bathroom” New Zealanders call the loo. There's not a hold lot of solid evidence out there about where the British even got the term loo, so don't try and make too much sense of it, but you'll definitely want to know it!
Bro – ah, an absolute Kiwi staple. Bro is short for brother and is used to describe your best mates (as well as your actual brother). Probably one of the most used Kiwi slang terms and one of our favourites.
Tēnā koe - Hello to one person. Kia ora/Tēna kōrua - Hello to two people. Kia ora tātou/kia ora koutou - Hello everyone. Tēnā koutou - Greetings to you (said to three or more people) Nau mai, haere mai - Welcome.