According to a 2001 survey on the health of the Māori language, the number of very fluent adult speakers was about 9% of the Māori population, or 30,000 adults. A national census undertaken in 2006 says that about 4% of the New Zealand population, or 23.7% of the Maori population could hold a conversation in Maori about everyday things.
Name
The English word comes from the Maori language, where it is spelled "Māori". In New Zealand the Maori language is commonly referred to as Te Reo[tɛ ˈɾɛ.ɔ] "the language", short for te reo Māori.
The spelling "Maori" (without macron) is standard in English outside New Zealand in both general and linguistic usage. The Maori-language spelling "Māori" (with macron) has become common in New Zealand English in recent years, particularly in Maori-specific cultural contexts, although the traditional English spelling is still prevalent in general media and government use.
The Māori (Māori pronunciation:[ˈmaːɔɾi], listen; Eng. pron. [ˈmaʊri]; N.Z. Eng.[ˈmaori], [ˈmæuri], [ˈmari], [ˈmɒəri]) are the indigenousPolynesian people of New Zealand. The Māori originated with settlers from eastern Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages at some time between 1250 and 1300CE. Over several centuries in isolation, the Polynesian settlers developed a unique culture that became known as the "Māori", with their own language, a rich mythology, distinctive crafts and performing arts. Early Māori formed tribal groups, based on eastern Polynesian social customs and organisation. Horticulture flourished using plants they introduced, and later a prominent warrior culture emerged.
The arrival of Europeans to New Zealand starting from the 17th century brought enormous change to the Māori way of life. Māori people gradually adopted many aspects of Western society and culture. Initial relations between Māori and Europeans were largely amicable, and with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, the two cultures coexisted as part of a new British colony. Rising tensions over disputed land sales led to conflict in the 1860s. Social upheaval, decades of conflict and epidemics of introduced disease took a devastating toll on the Māori population, which went into a dramatic decline. But, by the start of the 20th century, the Māori population had begun to recover, and efforts have been made to increase their standing in wider New Zealand society and achieve social justice. Traditional Māori culture has enjoyed a revival, and a protest movement emerged in the 1960s advocating Māori issues.
The king of New Zealand'sIndigenousMaori people died Friday while recovering from heart surgery at age 69, with aides saying he had "passed to the great beyond" ....
The king of New Zealand'sMaori died on Friday after heart surgery, with aides saying the beloved 69-year-old monarch, praised as a symbol of national unity, had "passed to the great beyond" ... .
KINGCharles has said he is "profoundly sad" to learn of the passing of New Zealand's Maori king who has died aged 69 ... 3. 3. An official statement from the Maori king movement said ... Speaking fondly of their time together, the King wrote ... .
“I will remember his dedication to Aotearoa New Zealand,” Luxon said, using the country’s Maori and English names, “his commitment to mokopuna, his passion for te ao Maori (Maori worldview), and his ...