There are several languages of New Zealand. English (New Zealand English) is the dominant language spoken by most New Zealanders. The country's de jure official languages are Māori and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). Other languages are also used by ethnic communities.
LANGUAGE
New Zealand
Sign languages
There are several languages of New Zealand. English (New Zealand English) is the dominant language spoken by most New Zealanders. The country's de jure official languages are Māori and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). Other languages are also used by ethnic communities.
Native languages
The pre-European inhabitants of the main islands of New Zealand all spoke Māori. A number of outlying islands and territories of New Zealand have their own native languages:
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Cook Islands Māori is the official language of the Cook Islands.
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Niuean is an official language of Niue (along with English).
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Tokelauan is an official language of Tokelau (along with English).
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Moriori language was the language of the Chatham Islands.
Learn some Maori
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Kia ora - Hello
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Kia ora tatou - Hello everyone
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Tena koe - Greetings to you (said to one person)
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Tena koutou - Greeting to you all
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Haere mai - Welcome
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Nau mai - Welcome
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Kei te pehea koe? - How's it going?
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Kei te pai - Good
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Tino pai - Really good
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Haere ra - Farewell
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Ka kite ano - Until I see you again (Bye)
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Hei konei ra - See you later