Traditional proverbs of New Zealand in en and English — each with its meaning and source.
He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
“What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.”
Above all else, people and human relationships are what matter most.
Source: Traditional Māori whakataukī (proverb), public-domain oral tradition; documented in Mead & Grove, 'Ngā Pēpeha a ngā Tīpuna' (2001)
Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tuohu koe me he maunga teitei.
“Seek the treasure you value most dearly: if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain.”
Pursue your highest goals, and compromise only for something truly worthwhile.
Source: Traditional Māori whakataukī, public-domain oral tradition
He waka eke noa.
“We are all in this canoe together, without exception.”
Everyone is in the same situation and must work together toward a common purpose.
Ka mua, ka muri.
“Walking backwards into the future.”
We look to the lessons of the past to guide our steps into the future.
Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi.
“With your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive.”
When everyone contributes what they have, the whole community prospers.
Tama tū tama ora, tama noho tama mate.
“The person who stands lives; the person who sits perishes.”
An active, striving person thrives, while the idle one falls behind.
Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa.
“Let us keep close together, not far apart.”
Stay united and maintain close bonds rather than drifting apart.
Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu.
“Feathers enable the bird to fly.”
With the right resources, skills, or support, one can achieve great things.
Kia kaha, kia toa, kia manawanui.
“Be strong, be brave, be steadfast.”
An encouragement to face hardship with strength, courage, and enduring resolve.
E kore au e ngaro; he kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea.
“I will never be lost, for I am a seed sown from Rangiātea.”
A person's identity and heritage, rooted deep in ancestry, can never truly be lost.
Mā mua ka kite a muri, mā muri ka ora a mua.
“Those who lead give sight to those who follow; those who follow give life to those who lead.”
Leaders and followers depend on one another; guidance and support flow in both directions.
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero.
“What is the food of the leader? It is knowledge, it is communication, it is discourse.”
A true leader is sustained not by material wealth but by knowledge and the ability to communicate.
Kāore te kūmara e kōrero mō tōna ake reka.
“The kūmara does not speak of its own sweetness.”
A humble person lets their good qualities and deeds speak for themselves rather than boasting.
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini.
“My strength is not that of a single warrior, but that of many.”
Success and strength come from the collective effort of many people working together, not from one person alone.
Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro, nōna te ngahere. Ko te manu e kai ana i te mātauranga, nōna te ao.
“The bird that partakes of the miro berry owns the forest; the bird that partakes of knowledge owns the world.”
Just as a bird thrives by feeding on the forest's fruit, a person who pursues knowledge gains command over the wider world.
He kai kei aku ringa.
“There is food at the end of my hands.”
A person has the capability and resourcefulness to provide for themselves through their own effort.
Ka pū te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi.
“As the old net is laid to rest, the new net goes fishing.”
As one generation retires from its labours, the younger generation rises to take up the work.
He tao huata e taea te karo, he tao kī e kore e taea.
“A physical spear can be parried, but a spoken spear cannot.”
Words, once spoken, can wound far more deeply and lastingly than a physical weapon.
Mā te rongo, ka mōhio; mā te mōhio, ka mārama; mā te mārama, ka mātau; mā te mātau, ka ora.
“Through listening comes awareness; through awareness comes understanding; through understanding comes knowledge; through knowledge comes wellbeing.”
Wellbeing grows from a chain of listening, awareness, understanding, and knowledge, each building on the one before it.
He rangi tā matawhāiti, he rangi tā matawhānui.
“A person with narrow vision sees a narrow horizon; a person with broad vision sees a broad horizon.”
The scope of a person's outlook and ambition determines how much opportunity they are able to see.
Titiro whakamuri, kōkiri whakamua.
“Look back and reflect, so you may step boldly into the future.”
Understanding where you come from gives you the strength and clarity to move confidently forward.
He rau ringa e oti ai.
“With many hands, the work will be finished.”
When many people contribute their effort together, even large tasks are completed with ease.
Ko koe ki tēnā, ko ahau ki tēnei kīwai o te kete.
“You at that handle, I at this handle of the basket.”
A task is best shared, with each person taking responsibility for their own part of the load.
Kia mate ururoa, kei mate wheke.
“Die fighting like a shark, not surrendering like an octopus.”
Face adversity with fierce resistance rather than giving up passively when things become difficult.
Waiho mā te tangata e mihi.
“Leave it to others to praise you.”
True worth is recognised by others; it is unbecoming to praise or promote yourself.
Mā pango, mā whero ka oti ai te mahi.
“With black and with red, the work will be completed.”
Great achievements come about when different people or groups combine their efforts together.
Ko te pae tawhiti whāia kia tata, ko te pae tata whakamaua kia tina.
“Seek out distant horizons, and cherish those you have attained.”
Keep striving toward ambitious future goals, while also holding firmly onto what you have already achieved.
He kōkonga whare e kitea, he kōkonga ngākau e kore e kitea.
“The corners of a house may be seen and known, but not so the corners of the heart.”
A person's inner thoughts and feelings are far harder to know than the physical world around them.
Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te whenua.
“People come and go, but the land remains forever.”
Human lives are fleeting, but the land endures across generations, connecting people to their past and future.
He manako te kōura, kei kai i te kohu.
“Wishing for crayfish, you may end up eating fog.”
Setting your hopes on something unrealistic may leave you with nothing at all; aim for what is achievable.
He iti noa, nā te aroha.
“Although it is small, it is given with love.”
The value of a gift lies not in its size but in the love and intention behind it.
He kanohi kitea.
“A face that is seen.”
Being visibly present and taking part in your community builds trust, connection, and belonging.
Ka mate kāinga tahi, ka ora kāinga rua.
“If one home fails, a second home sustains life.”
Having more than one source of support or belonging offers resilience when one falls away.
He aroha whakatō, he aroha ka puta mai.
“If kindness is sown, then kindness shall be reaped.”
The love and care you give to others will, in time, return to you in kind.
Mā te tuakana te teina e tōtika, mā te teina te tuakana e tōtika.
“The older sibling guides the younger, and the younger sibling guides the older.”
Guidance and learning flow both ways between the more experienced and the less experienced; both have something to teach.
Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu.
“Although it is small, it is precious, like greenstone.”
Something small in size can still carry great value and meaning.
Kua tawhiti kē tō haerenga mai, kia kore e haere tonu; he nui rawa ō mahi, kia kore e mahi nui tonu.
“You have come too far not to go further; you have done too much not to do more.”
The distance already travelled and effort already made are reasons to keep going, not to stop.
E tū kahikatea, hei whakaruruhau mō te iwi.
“Stand like a grove of kahikatea, sheltering one another for the people.”
Like kahikatea trees that grow in interlocking clusters for mutual strength, people are strongest when they stand together and support one another.
He moana pukepuke e ekengia e te waka.
“A choppy sea can still be navigated by canoe.”
Even rough and difficult circumstances can be overcome with skill, courage, and persistence.
Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori.
“The language is the life force of Māori identity and standing.”
The Māori language is essential to Māori identity, dignity, and cultural survival.
He toka tū moana.
“A steadfast rock standing in the ocean.”
A person who remains strong and unmoved by hardship, like a rock enduring the constant pounding of the sea.
Ko Ranginui e tū iho nei, ko Papatūānuku e takoto nei.
“Ranginui stands above, and Papatūānuku lies below.”
A reminder of the deep, foundational connection between sky and earth, and of people's place between them.
Ehara i te mea nō nāianei te aroha, nō ngā tūpuna, tuku iho, tuku iho.
“Love did not begin today; it has been handed down from the ancestors, generation after generation.”
The love and care within a family or community is an inheritance passed continuously from ancestors to descendants.
Ko te amorangi ki mua, ko te hāpai ō ki muri.
“The leaders at the front, the supporters behind.”
A community succeeds when leaders take the visible front role while others provide steady support behind them.
He iti wai kōwhao waka e tahuri te waka.
“A small amount of water entering through a hole in the canoe can capsize the whole waka.”
Small oversights or minor faults, left unattended, can eventually cause great and serious failure.
He kotuku rerenga tahi.
“The white heron of a single flight.”
A rare visitor or event, seen only once, that is treasured for its brief and special appearance.
Kotahi te kōhao o te ngira e kuhuna ai te miro mā, te miro whero, te miro pango.
“There is but one eye of the needle through which the white thread, the red thread, and the black thread must all pass.”
All peoples, whatever their differences, must ultimately pass through the same narrow gate of unity and cooperation.
He tina ki runga, he tāmore ki raro.
“Flourishing growth above depends on a strong taproot below.”
Visible success and achievement rest on a firm, well-established foundation.
Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au.
“I am the river, and the river is me.”
A person's identity can be inseparable from their ancestral river or land, each sustaining and reflecting the other.
Source: Traditional Māori whakataukī of the Whanganui iwi, public-domain oral tradition
He iti te mokoroa, nāna i kati te kahikatea.
“The mokoroa grub is small, yet it is the one that fells the kahikatea tree.”
Something small or seemingly insignificant can, through persistence, bring down something far larger.
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