Our goal here at Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council is for te reo Māori ‘to be seen, heard, spoken and felt’ throughout our offices, multiple work spaces, and in our interactions with our communities.
We have guidelines for staff on the use of te reo Māori. These guidelines provide staff an opportunity to understand our organisational approach to the incorporation, promotion and use of te reo Māori across Toi Moana and externally.
In an effort to progress te reo Māori in our internal and external communications we have a list of words that will not be translated. This list can be reviewed and added to.
| Aotearoa | New Zealand |
| aroha | love, compassion |
| awa | river, stream |
| hapū | extended family/sub-tribe |
| hīkoi | walk |
| hui | meeting, gathering |
| iwi | tribe |
| kai | food |
| karakia | blessing, prayer |
| kaupapa | topic |
| koha | donation/gift |
| kōrero | talk, saying, discuss |
| mahi | work |
| mana | prestige, authority, integrity |
| moana | sea, large body of water, large lakes |
| motu | island |
| putea | fund, sum of money |
| rohe | region |
| taonga | treasure |
| tapu | sacred, under cultural or religious restriction |
| tuna | eel |
| wai | water |
| waiata | song |
| waka | canoe, vehicle |
| whakapapa | descent, ineage, genealogy |
| whānau | family |
| whenua | land |
Te Aka is an online Māori Dictionary, that we recommend to people to refer to if they find a term that they’re not familiar with.