KOTAHITANGA | COLUMN | MATIHIKO | TECH
Written by Hirimaia Eketone (they/them) | @hiri_music | Te Ao Māori Editor
Edited by Liam Hansen (they/them) | @liamhanse.n | Editor-in-Chief
Kia ora e hoa ma,
I hope the woes of Semester 1 starting up again have begun to settle and you’re finally in a space to explore the campus, make new friends and climb the pile of canvas assignments that have already begun to flood your computer screen.
Today I have a couple of words for you to start buffing out your Te Reo Māori knowledge. Learning languages can be so important for developing not only your cultural understanding but also your creative brain and the way you see the world. So, with that in mind, let’s get started on a couple of phrases that are fun to say and may impress any other Debate readers that skip over this column.
“Hōhā,” “werawera” and “manaka” are my current favourites due to the unbearing heat and intense workload that comes with the beginning of March. Following on from what we learned last issue, these are brilliant descriptive words that you can add to your bank when anyone asks how you are. Here are some examples and explanations of what these words mean and how to use them!
“Hōhā”- means annoyed, stressed, angry or fed up. Best used when your last snack has been unlawfully taken before lunch.
Kei te pehea koe? ( How are you )
Ahh, he tino hōhā au/kei te hōhā au/kei te tino tino hōhā au.
( Ahh, I’m very annoyed/ I’m stressed/I’m very very upset )
“Werawera”- means hot, sweaty, uncomfortable. Perfect to describe the feeling of hitting 5pm and the sun deciding to bear down on us all.
Kei te pehea koe?
He tino werawera au!/Kei te werawera au, koe?/Kei te tino tino werawera au. Aue!
( I’m very warm!/I’m hot, you?/I’m very very hot. Damn! )
“Manaka”- perhaps the most relatable, this is for those times where you’re stressed, anxious, or dreading your next 8am lecture.
Kei te pehea koe?
Ah, he tino manaka au/Kei te manaka au nā te mea e haera ana au ki te mahi/Kei te tino tino manaka au
( Ah, I’m quite stressed/I’m anxious because I’m going to work/I’m very very stressed. )
Try out a couple of these phrases whenever the right time rolls around. For any future Debate contributors, feel free to use some of these phrases in your emails to me or other Debate editors! I’ve chucked in some extra hard bits to the usual sentence structure, look out for the patterns as it will assist you in understanding the next couple of issues!
Ma te wa e hoa ma!
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