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A Maori Podcast

A Maori Podcast

By: Ihira
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About this listen

Kia ora! Welcome to this podcast! As per the title, it's a Maori podcast and I am Maori. I try to keep the podcast completely in Te Reo, this is mainly because I want to improve my own language skills, and the best way to do it is to completely speak the language. I share my insights into learning and improving my reo Maori skills especially as someone that doesn't reside back in the homeland. Hoi ano, nahaku noa, I hope that you enjoy this mahi, and I'm proud to be Maori and to share our language. Ko te reo kia rere! If you live abroad and need a place to hang out, I finally found a great hangout spot filled with Maori speakers here. Discord - Reo Maori I also have a Patreon where I hope to add some additional value. You can find me here:https://patreon.com/amaoripodcast© 2025 A Maori Podcast Language Learning Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • Is it "horoia o ringaringa", or "horoi o ringaringa?" - The answer might surprise you.
    Jan 28 2026

    Kia ora ki a tatou! I know I have spoken on this topic before, but it's something that i come across often enough that I wanted to touch on it again.

    My personal goal is to strive to speak the reo which was spoken by our tupuna (obviously not completely possible, but I want it to be as close as can be).

    I want my reo maori to be reo maori, rather than english masked as maori. Olelo Hawaii language advocate Keao NeSmith addresses similar concerns in the olelo. Timestamp is 33 minute mark here in an interview on Keep it Aloha. Keao also delves into this topic in an interview on Ka Alala here.


    whakatauki - E kore e kitea he toki huna. [Kohikohinga whakatauki a Raupo, pg 25]


    Is it horoia o ringaringa, or horoi o ringaringa?

    horoi vs horoia: key differences [https://upokopakaru.wordpress.com/2012/09/13/how-to-wash-your-hands/]


    "Me tino whakamākū ngā makawe ki te wai, ā ka hopi: horoia kia kore he hopi i roto i ngā makawe (TTT 1/4/1923:2). / Thoroughly wet the hair with water and then lather it up with soap: rinse it so that there's no soap left in the hair": horoia - However if you look at the source material, you can see that the article is aimed towards parents washing their children's hair, as opposed to the children washing their own hair [https://maoridictionary.co.nz/word/1438 (example 1)] [https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/TOATAK19230401.2.3]


    Commands to someone regarding themselves:[Ray Harlow, A Maori Reference Grammar, pg 196]

    Ray Harlow has this to say - "An exception to the rule that transitive verbs with oject use the passive for commands is found in sentences with a reflexive object, where the patient of the action is the same person/people as the subject. in this case, the passive suffix is not used and the oject is marked with i:

    Whakapaipai i a koe! - Make yourself look pretty!

    Horoi i a koutou! - Wash yourselves!


    He also has this to say:

    "A fourth construction is used for commands that some action should be performed by some part of the body. These commands are more like instructions to the particular body part, which is the subject and follws the verb without any suffix or particle:

    Hamama tou waha! - Speak, open your mouth!

    Takahi tou wae! - Stamp your foot!

    Toro mai o ringa! - Stretch out your hand!


    Williams also agrees with the above statement with examples as follows: [W.L. Williams, H.W.Williams, 9th edition, First Lessons in Maori, pg 85.]

    Titiro ou kanohi - Open your eyes.

    Hamama tou waha - Open your mouth.

    Totoro tou ringaringa - Stretch out your hand.

    Hupeke tou waewae - Bend your leg.



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    12 mins
  • Maori x Hawaiian - Harry Potter: Language Comparison and Similarities
    Jan 21 2026

    Kia ora! I'm excited for todays episode. I thought I would do a language comparison of Te Reo Maori and Olelo Kanaka. Do excuse my olelo pronunciation. I'm still working on improving it, as I definitely sound like a Maori speaking Hawaiian haha. Enjoy!


    Olelo Kanaka: Mokuna Ekahi - Ke Keiki i Pakele

    Reo Maori: Te Wahanga Tuatahi - Te Tama i Ora tonu


    Olelo Kanaka: Ua ha'aheo o Mr laua o Mrs Durley o Helu Eha, Ala Pilikino, i ka ha'i aku he po'e ma'amau no laua, mahalo nui loa.

    Reo Maori: Whakahi ana a Mita raua ko Miha Tuhiri, no te kainga tuawha i te Ara o Piriweti, ki te ki he tino maori noa iho nei raua - kia mohio mai koe.


    Olelo Kanaka: Aohe loa ou mahu'i he komo laua i ka hana ano 'e a hookahaha paha, no ka mea, aohe loa o laua pili aku me kela ano.

    Reo Maori: Ko raua hoki tetahi tokorua e tino kore nei e uru ki nga ahuatanga e koroke ana ranei, e porehu ana ranei, na te mea kaore raua e paku pai ana ki aua hanga heahea.


    Breakdown:

    Olelo Kanaka:

    Mokuna - This is related to our kupu maori Motunga.

    Ua - Kua in the reo.

    Haaheo - Whakahihi, whakahi, pohokereru all these types of words in maori.

    laua o - raua ko. This one is very similar, basically the same, it works exactly the same too.

    ha'i - whaki. Basically has the same vibe as the reo maori counterpart.

    po'e - In the reo we have many words of this nature, hunga, kapa, kahui, tira, whakaminenga, minenga, marea, it's the same vibe.

    hana - mahi.

    ano 'e - whano ke. Pretty sure the maori word is of the same nature, 'e is ke in maori, but ano has loads of meanings in the olelo.

    ano -

    I thought I'd list out a few meanings that ano holds in the olelo which it has, but I give the maori counterpart:

    1. kano/kakano
    2. momo
    3. ahua
    4. whanoke (only in the ano 'e usage though -- I think)
    5. take/raru (Olelo would say something like 'He aha kou ano?' Maori being - 'He aha to take?/ He aha to raru?)



    If you are keen to learn more about the Olelo Kanaka. These are the resources I used to teach myself.

    1. Clinton Kanahele Collection
    2. Wehewehe.org
    3. hawaiian-grammar.org
    4. Ka Alala
    5. Kanaeokana



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    16 mins
  • Speaking the reo - How to give extra info in your sentences
    Jan 14 2026

    Kia ora! This week I wanted to speak on something that I still mess-up often on. Apposition's, Kianga Whakamarama,

    Firstly, what purpose does a kianga whakamarama serve? Well, per the kupu, it elaborates and gives further information to a sentence.

    In English, Ray Harlow [A Maori Reference Grammar, pg. 166] gives the below example to show us that it is the second phrase which gives the extra detail to the first phrase.

    "Dr Hohepa, the Maori Language Commissioner, addressed the conference."


    In the reo, it is similar, but the difference is that we repeat the preposition.

    "ki a taua, ki te Maori, he mea nui tenei." (Karetu 1974:51)

    "Ko tenei manu, ko te kotuku, me uaua ke ka kitea." (Karetu 1974:51)


    Wetereo: Kianga whakamarama

    Noho raupapa ai nga kianga, penei i te kianga puhono, i te kianga tuingoa, kia whakamaramatia ai te tuatahi e te tuarua.

    Ma te reo maori nei, ka noho hangai ko tera kianga ko tera kianga, takoto ngatahi ai, a, ko te puhono ia, e whakaruatia.


    whakatauki - Hei aha ma te rora? What purpose does being cowardly serve you? [Te Kohikohinga Whakatauki a Raupo, pg. 28]

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    7 mins
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