Indigneous people of New Zealand, originating in South Pacific. Signatories to the Treaty of Waitangi, 1840. One of the national languages of NZ (The others being English and Sign).
by sloanie July 6, 2006
Maori is an adjective habitually misused in New Zealand as a collective noun.
pronounced either maari or moeri if you want a job in TV,
academia, or public service.
Pronounced mow-ri by everyone else.
The literal meaning is "ordinary". That is how
the first group of people who arrived in NZ chose to describe themselves relative to the (slightly) later arrivals who they chose to call pakeha (outsider, alien, foreigner). New Zealand is an homogenised monocultural society (with terrible suppressed racial ethno-political tension). Some New Zealanders have some maori ancestry. None have only maori ancestry. Maori means maori person, a person with some maori ancestry.
In media and political usage "maori" is a collective noun used when attempting to sensationalise a news story or when promoting an outrageous political agenda for one's own personal benefit.
pronounced either maari or moeri if you want a job in TV,
academia, or public service.
Pronounced mow-ri by everyone else.
The literal meaning is "ordinary". That is how
the first group of people who arrived in NZ chose to describe themselves relative to the (slightly) later arrivals who they chose to call pakeha (outsider, alien, foreigner). New Zealand is an homogenised monocultural society (with terrible suppressed racial ethno-political tension). Some New Zealanders have some maori ancestry. None have only maori ancestry. Maori means maori person, a person with some maori ancestry.
In media and political usage "maori" is a collective noun used when attempting to sensationalise a news story or when promoting an outrageous political agenda for one's own personal benefit.
correct usage:
"Rangi is of maori descent"
"Many maori people are fine singers"
incorrect usage:
"maori are outraged"
(maori people do not have a hive mind - like the Borg on
Star Trek)
"maori own the water"
("maori" is not an entity. It is a variable attribute of people,
people who already own or don't own the water in exactly the same way as all the other people who don't have that attribute )
"Rangi is of maori descent"
"Many maori people are fine singers"
incorrect usage:
"maori are outraged"
(maori people do not have a hive mind - like the Borg on
Star Trek)
"maori own the water"
("maori" is not an entity. It is a variable attribute of people,
people who already own or don't own the water in exactly the same way as all the other people who don't have that attribute )
by whakapu September 4, 2012
* A person who originates from Polynesia, and settled in New Zealand before the Medieval ages.
* A New Zealander
I believe this definition has been hit by the national front, or some bored helpless cases. I have some sense.
* A New Zealander
I believe this definition has been hit by the national front, or some bored helpless cases. I have some sense.
by Sip+Suck September 15, 2006
"Are Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the English version (The Treaty of Waitangi) the same?"- No. Te Tiriti o Waitangi confirms Maori authority and sovereignty, while the English version states that Maori gave their sovereignty to the Queen - this is a total contradiction. Oh and you may be interested to know that it is the only Treaty in the world that is not written in the countries native tongue first and then translated into English. The Maori language version is still not recognised by our government today.
To all those people who have made flippant comments about the Treaty without bothering to do your research, I suggest you pull your heads out of your backside and then attempt an educated debate. Spell check is a great tool as well. I am a Pakeha, but feel ashamed and sick to the stomach to be one when I read what has been written on this site.
To all those people who have made flippant comments about the Treaty without bothering to do your research, I suggest you pull your heads out of your backside and then attempt an educated debate. Spell check is a great tool as well. I am a Pakeha, but feel ashamed and sick to the stomach to be one when I read what has been written on this site.
by MissSickToDeath May 23, 2012
The Indigenous ethnicity of New Zealand. Colonised by the British from the 1760s onward, they have been politically, economically and socially marginalised. This is marginilisation is perpetuated by institutionalised racist views such as the first five entries of the term 'Maori' in UrbanDictionary, (those people should get a life - we are all human beings here,stop being so God Damn racist, if you hate us so much than leave NZ) Maori have a very distinct culture, and their values on law and living are almost contradictory to that of the colonisers. Maori have communal and collective way of life as opposed to the western ideology of every man for himself. The Treaty of Waitangi (ceding of sovereignty) in 1840 was signed in two different versions, between Maori and the Crown. The different versions are the basis for Maori and Pakeha conlict in the present day - they each imply something different. Ancient Maori were exceptional seafarers, navigators and astrologers, originating in south east asia, and travelling by canoe (waka) through the Pacific Islands (Tahiti and the Cook Islands) through to New Zealand 1700 years ago. Colonisation and loss of land bought along a substantial economic loss.
Maori are to New Zealand, what Aborigine are to Australia. We are not greedy, or parasitic, and the person who stated that most certainly has a small penis, as degrading others is usually a means by which to cover up self imperfections, usually to do with having a missing ballsack or small dick.
by Miss Sham October 17, 2005
People of New Zealand that are not "Once Were Warriors" stereotypes, one of the many cultures within New Zealand.
by Anonymous March 2, 2005