Te Taura
Whiri’s Guidelines for Spelling and Writing Māori - 2009
Introduction
It has been over fifteen years since Te Taura Whiri’s orthographic conventions
underwent a major review. As the language has been in a state of flux, so too
have the rules determining how it should be written. To help guide the revision
of the conventions, major reference works in Māori, speakers, scholars and
publishers of Māori, were consulted. The
resulting guidelines set out what Te Taura Whiri
i te Reo Māori considers to be current best
practice. It aims to provide an easy-to-follow guide that promotes consistency
in the use of written Māori and standards for publication. It is hoped that
these conventions will be followed by writers and
publishers of Māori, as well as those who are teaching and learning Māori.
Although there is a high degree of consistency between what is recommended here
and the conventions followed for Te Taura Whiri’s recently published dictionary,
He Pātaka Kupu (Raupō, 2008), and those too that were followed in the
1971 edition of Williams’ Dictionary of the Maori
Language, there will be instances where those documents, and other
authorities, are not in line with what is set out here. It is recommended
however that the rules provided here override those in other reference books.
Te Taura Whiri recommends He Pātaka Kupu as the primary reference when
checking how words should be spelled. For words that do not appear there, it
recommends the latest edition of Williams’ Dictionary of the Maori
Language. For new, specialised terms,
other specialist glossaries should be consulted. For example, Te Reo Pāngarau
(Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga, 2004) for mathematics vocabulary, and Te Reo
Pūtaiao (Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga, due for publication in September 2009)
for science vocabulary.
For guidance with the use of macrons in names, searching individual names in the
Dictionary of New Zealand Biography (www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/)
(selecting ‘View site in te reo Māori’) and Te Ara (www.teara.govt.nz)
websites will prove useful. The New Zealand Historical Atlas (David
Bateman Ltd, 1997) is another reliable source.
Contents
Section One – Long and Short Vowels
Part One – Long
Vowels
Part Two – Short
Vowels
Part Three – Long and Short Vowels in Possessive
Particles
Section Two – Word Division
Section Three – Proper Names
Section Four – Capitalization
Appendix 1 – Common errors made in marking vowel
length
Appendix 2 – Verbs with irregular passive forms
Appendix 3 – Common errors in word
division
Appendix 4 – Names of the days and months in Māori
Appendix 5 –
Punctuation and typographical
terms
Note:
It is important to read all of the conventions in each section, as some qualify
or rule out others.
back to top
SECTION ONE –
LONG AND SHORT VOWELS
Part One –
Long Vowel
The macron
is now the established means of indicating a long vowel in words and names in
all but a small number of cases. The standard references to consult for vowel
length are He Pātaka Kupu and the 1971 edition of Williams’ Dictionary
of the Maori Language.
In text
produced on a computer, Unicode macrons should be used. You can download a
program to make Unicode macrons on a PC from Te Taura Whiri’s website,
www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz (under ‘downloads’ in the ‘resources’ section).
Alternatively, the same program can be downloaded from www.microsoft.com.
Macrons are
to be used in the following cases.
1.
To
indicate the long vowels in
words:
āhua ‘form’ pōhēhē
‘think mistakenly’ rōpū ‘group’
(not aahua, pooheehee etc.)
Loan words follow the same rule:
kīngi ‘king’ kōti ‘court’
mīhini ‘machine’
(not kiingi, kooti etc.)
Note:
Some words are said with either a long or a short vowel, and can
therefore be written with or without a macron. The following are the most common
of these:
hoatu,
hōatu ‘give’
homai, hōmai
‘give’
hou, hōu
‘new’ rongoa,
rongoā ‘medicine’
takai,
tākai ‘wrap’
tuara, tuarā ‘back’
whakarerea,
whakarērea ‘be abandoned, left behind’
2.
In passivised verbs where the last letter of the base and the passive
suffix are both ‘a’
hanga + -a > hangā ‘be built’
panga + -a > pangā ‘be thrown’
rapa + -a
> rapā ‘be looked for, sought’
(not hangaa, pangaa etc.
3.
In
passivised verbs where a vowel (usually in the first syllable) is
lengthened:
kume > kūmea ‘be dragged, drawn out’ mimi
> mīia ‘be urinated on’
riri > rīria
‘be chastised, told off’ tiki > tīkina ‘be
fetched’
whakarere >
whakarērea ‘be abandoned, left behind’
(not kuumea,
tiikina, etc.)
4.
In passivised verbs where the last letter of the base is ‘ī’, and
the preferred passive suffix is ‘-ia’, both the macron in the base and
the full suffix ‘-ia’ are retained:
kī
‘to say’ + -ia > kīia
‘to be said’
pī ‘to
ignore, disregard’ + -ia > pīia ‘to be
ignored, disregarded’
hī
‘raise up, catch’ + -ia > hīia
‘be raised up, caught’
mimi ‘to
urinate’ > mī (passive base) + -ia > mīia ‘be
urinated on’
5.
The following particles have a long vowel:
mā, mō, nā, nō, ngā, kē, rā, ā (when
indicating future time, e.g. ā te Rāhoroi)
6.1
Inā used to emphasise some quality, has a long vowel
Inā
kē te reka o aua kamokamo! Paupau ana i a māua!
(Those
kamokamo were so sweet! We polished them off!)
Inā
te kino o
ngā ara o reira – he kirikiri katoa, he kōpikopiko katoa.
(The roads
there are really bad – they’re all gravel and windy.)
6.2
Inā to point to the reason for something is also pronounced long:
E kore e tipu
he paku aha i reira, inā te makariri.
(Nothing will
grow there, for it’s too cold.)
Kua mōhio kē
pea te ao, inā hoki, i pānuitia ki te pouaka whakaata i te pō rā.
(The whole
world probably already knows, as it was broadcast on the TV last night.)
He tau pai mō
te mahi māra, inā rā, e kī ana ngā rua i te kai.
(It was obviously a good season for growing, as the food
stores are full.)
Note:
Compare with ina – No.2, Part Two of this section.
7.
EXCEPTIONS:
In words made
up of distinct word-parts or ‘morphemes’ (see below for examples), if the last
vowel of the first word-part is short, and that vowel is also the first letter
of the second word-part, the two vowels are written separately in place of a
macronised single vowel.
7.1
Addition of prefix:
whaka- + aro > whakaaro ‘to think’
(not whakāro, whakaro)
toko- + ono > tokoono ‘six people’
(not tokōno, tokono)
tau- + utuutu > tauutuutu ‘pattern of
alternating speeches’
(not taūtuutu, tautuutu)
7.2
Words containing reduplicated parts:
ara > araara ‘rise up n a body’ (not
arāra, arara)
haere > haereere ‘stroll’ (not
haerēre, haerere)
ihi > ihiihi ‘shudder with fear’ (not
ihīhi, ihihi)
paoro > pāorooro ‘reverberate’
(not pāorōro, pāororo)
utu > tauutuutu ‘pattern of alternating speeches’ (not
tauutūtu, tauututu
7.3
Words containing two word-parts that appear once to have existed as distinct
words in their own right, but are no longer considered as such:
mana + aki > manaaki ‘look after, entertain’ (not
manāki, manaki)
mata + ara > mataara ‘be watchful’ (not
matāra, matara)
7.4
Words containing a prefix that ends in the letter ‘a’ and a base that
begins with a long ‘ā’:
whaka + āhua > whakaahua ‘image’ (not
whakaāhua, whakāhua, whakahua)
whaka + āe > whakaae ‘agree’
(not whakaāe, whakāe, whakae)
āta + āhua > ātaahua ‘beautiful, sightly’
(not ātaāhua etc.)
taka + āhuareka > takaahuareka
‘happy’ (not takaāhuareka etc.)
whaka + āwhiwhi > whakaawhwhi ‘to round
(numbers)’ (not whakaāwhiwhi etc.)
7.5
Where a word or word-part is drawn out for dramatic effect, for example,
in dialogue or colourful prose, it is recommended that the vowel be repeated to
indicate the lengthened sound, rather than using the macron:
‘Aiii!
Ka aroha kē.’ (‘Oh no! That’s terrible!’)
‘Eee
hoa eee! Kuuua mate noa atu ia!’ (‘Good heavens, he died
ages ago!’)
Ko te tangi a
taua manu, e āhua pēnei ana, ‘Keeaa, keeaa, keeaa.’
(That bird’s
call is kind of like this, ‘Keeaa, keeaa, keeaa.’)
Part Two –
Short Vowels
1.
The following particles have a short vowel:
ka, ko,
i, ki, e, me, a
(as a nominal particle, e.g. ki a ia, ki a
Heta; as a locative particle, e.g. he poroporo a waho o te kūmara,
he kōwhai a roto, as a post-posed possessive particle in
expressions of the following type, e.g. te pene a Kiri, Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara)
2.
Ina meaning ‘when’ has a short vowel:
Ina
puta au i aku whakamātautau, kua haere au ki te whare wānanga.
(When
I pass my exams, I’m going to university.)
Ina
maoa ngā rīwai, putua atu te wai, ka penupenu ai.
(When
the potatoes are cooked, pour off the water and mash them.)
Note:
Compare with inā – points 6.1 and 6.2, Part One of this section.
Part Three –
Long and Short Vowels in Possessive Particles
1.
The singular possessive particles tā and tō always have a
long vowel:
tā māua kurī ‘our dog’ tā rātou
take ‘their issue’
tā te pouako pukapuka ‘the teacher’s book’
tō
kōrua whare ‘your house’ tō tātou wawata ‘our dream’
tō Hēmi whare ‘Hēmi’s house’
2.
The plural possessive particles: ā, ō, a, o
2.1
Where these particles come before the thing that is possessed in
phrases of the following type, they have a long
vowel:
ā tāua pukapuka
‘our books’
ā
kōrua
mokopuna
‘your grandchildren’
ā
te rēwera mahi ‘the devil’s work’
ō
koutou
whenua
‘your
lands’
ō
Roimata whakaaro ‘Roimata’s ideas’
2.2
Where these particles come after the thing that is possessed, they
have a short vowel:
ēnei
pukapuka
a tāua ‘these books of ours’
ērā
mokopuna
a
kōrua ‘those grandchildren of yours’
ngā mahi
a te rēwera ‘the work of the devil’
ēnei
whenua o koutou ‘these lands of yours’
ngā
whakaaro o Roimata ‘Roimata’s ideas’
3.
The following examples combine
both forms:
te
kōrero
a ō rāua
mātua
‘the talk of their parents’ > ‘their parents’
talk’
te
hōiho
o ā
rāua
tamariki
‘the horse of their children’ > ‘their children’s horse’
ngā mahi a ō tātou tūpuna ‘the deeds of our
ancestors’ > ‘our ancestors’ deeds’
ngā kākahu
o ā koutou tamariki ‘the clothes of your children’ > ‘your
children’s clothes’
ngā
kamokamo a tō tāua whaea ‘the kamokamo of our aunt’ > ‘our
aunt’s kamokamo’
ngā hū
o tā māua kōtiro ‘the shoes of our girl’ > ‘our girl’s
shoes’
4.
Note that in sentences of the following pattern, the first one does not
have a macron on the second ‘o’, whereas the second one (where the thing being
talked about has been omitted), does:
He hū ō ētahi,
horekau he hū o ētahi.
(Some had
shoes, some didn’t have shoes.)
He hū ō ētahi,
horekau ō ētahi.
(Some had
shoes, some didn’t.)
Here is a
similar example from the ‘a’ categor
He huhua ngā
ika a ētahi, he ruarua noa iho ngā ika a ētahi atu.
(Some had
lots of fish, others only had a few fish.)
He huhua ngā
ika a ētahi, he ruarua noa iho ā ētahi atu.
(Some had
lots of fish, others only had a few.
Note:
Some of the common errors made in the marking of macrons in Māori words
are listed in Appendix 1.
back to contents
SECTION TWO –
WORD DIVISION
1.
Suffixes
are written as part of the word:
1.1
Passive:
kitea ‘to be found, to be seen’
inumia ‘to be drunk’
whakaaturia ‘to be shown’
tangihia ‘to be mourned’
Note: A list of verbs with irregular passive forms in
respect of vowel length is provided in Appendix 2.
1.2
Nominalisation:
kitenga ‘the act of seeing’
inumanga ‘the act of drinking’
whakaaturanga ‘the display, show’
tangihanga ‘funeral’
2.
Prefixes
are written
as part of the word:
2.1
Agentive kai-:
kaimahi
‘worker’ (not kai mahi, kai-mahi)
kaitiaki ‘guardian, minder’ (not kai
tiaki, kai-tiaki)
kaiwhakahaere
‘manager’ (not
kai whakahaere, kai-whakahaere)
kaitātari
‘analyst’ (not kai tātari, kai-tātari)
2.2
Causative whaka- and related senses:
whakamāori
‘translate into Māori’ (not whaka māori, whaka-māori)
whakatairanga
‘promote’ (not
whaka
tairanga,
whaka-tairanga)
whakatangata ‘become human’ (not
whaka tangata, whaka-tangata)
whakawhiti ‘set about crossing’ (not
whaka whiti, whaka-whiti)
whakaroto
‘inwards’ (not whaka roto,
whaka-roto)
2.3
Other prefixes:
takirua ‘in pairs’ tokorua
‘two (people)’ tuarua ‘second’
hokowhitu ‘seven score’ tautohe
‘argue with one another’
pukutākaro
‘playful’ porohaurangi ‘drunkard’
tūāpōuri ‘somewhat dark’ tūāmoe ‘period
of unbroken sleep’
3.
Compound words
Hyphens are
no longer widely used in compound words, although there are some exceptions to
this rule. A few examples are given in the discussion under 3.2 below.
3.1
Compound words consisting of four vowels or fewer are generally written
as a single word:
wharekai ‘dining room’ < whare ‘building’ + kai
‘food, to eat’
koremahi ‘unemployed’ < kore ‘no’ + mahi ‘work’
ngoikore ‘weak’ < ngoi
‘strength’ + kore ‘no’
whaihua ‘useful, beneficial’ < whai ‘possessing’ + hua
‘benefit, advantage’
whaitake ‘useful, of worth’ < whai ‘possessing’ + take
‘foundation, reason’
3.2
Compound words consisting of five or more vowels are generally written as
two (or more) words:
whare karakia ‘church’ < whare ‘building’ + karakia ‘prayer’
kore pūtea ‘without funds’
< ‘kore ‘no’ + pūtea ‘fund’
whakapono kore ‘faithless’ < whakapono ‘faith’ + kore ‘no’
whai tamariki ‘having children’ < whai
‘possessing’ + tamariki ‘children’
whai tikanga ‘meaningful, important’ < whai ‘possessing’ +
tikanga ‘meaning,reason’
These two
rules are followed fairly consistently for more established words. They also
tend to hold for newer words that were created individually, or that aren’t
obviously members of a closely related set of terms, for example, kirihou
‘plastic’, kaupapa here ‘policy’, and pae tukutuku ‘website’.
However, for
groups of related words, the trend has been to aim for consistency of style
within a group, following whichever convention gives the ‘best fit’ for the
group as a whole. For example, for the various types of angle (koki),
koki is written separately from the word that follows it, regardless of the
number of vowels in the resultant compound: koki roto ‘interior angle’;
koki tāhapa ‘acute angle’. In science, the various types of meter are
written thus: ine-aho ‘light meter’, ine-iahiko ‘ammeter’,
ine-taumaha tāhiko ‘electronic scale’. Similarly, oropuare and
orokati are now written as one word for congruency, whereas orokati was
previously written as two.
3.3
Compound words with manawa or ngākau as the base word, and one
other word consisting of one or two vowels only, are written as one
word:
manawanui (< manawa + nui) ‘stout-hearted,
patient’
manawapā (< manawa + pā) ‘reluctant,
apprehensive’
manawareka (< manawa + reka) ‘gratified,
satisfied’
manawarū (<
manawa + rū) ‘delighted, rapt’
ngākaukawa (
< ngākau + kawa) ‘negatively disposed towards’
ngākaunui (<
ngākau + nui) ‘zealous, keen’
ngākaupai (< ngākau + pai) ‘positively/favourably
disposed towards’
ngākaurua (<
ngākau + rua) ‘in two minds, uncertain’
3.4
Compound words with manawa or ngākau as the base word, and one
other word consisting of three or more vowels, or two words (or more),
are written as two (or more) words:
manawa popore
‘anxious, considerate of others’
manawa kiore
‘the last faint breath of a dying man’
manawa whenua
‘unfailing (of a spring)’
manawa kai
tūtae ‘daring, undaunted’
ngākau hihiko
‘lively, spirited, switched on’
ngākau pāpaku
‘shallow’
4.
Expressions of time
4.1
The following time expressions are written as one word:
āianei ‘now, shortly’
ākuanei ‘shortly’
ākuarā
‘shortly’ āpōpō
‘tomorrow’
ātahirā
‘(on) the day after tomorrow’
iāianei
‘now’ iāianā
‘now’
ināianei
‘now’ inakuanei
‘just now, recently’
inakuarā
‘just before’ inamata
‘formerly; immediately’
inanahi
‘yesterday’
inapō ‘last night’
inatahirā
‘(on) the day before yesterday’
Other less
common time phrases (such as aoinaake ‘(on) the following day, tomorrow’,
inaoakenui ‘three days ago’ and tāinakarehā ‘the day before
yesterday’) also follow this rule. To see Te Taura Whiri’s preferred written
form for individual time phrases, consult He Pātaka Kupu.
4.2
Where ‘tonu’ is inserted into a time expression listed at 4.1, the
expression is broken into its constituent parts, but the first ‘i’
remains joined to the word or word part that immediately follows it:
ināia
tonu nei ‘right now, this instant’ inakua
tonu nei ‘just before’
Note:
The expression inā tata nei (‘just before’) also follows this
pattern.
4.3
Where ‘tonu’ comes after the basic time unit, the expression is not
broken up:
ināianei
tonu ‘right now’ inakuanei tonu ‘just
before’
inanahi
tonu nei ‘just yesterday’ tāinakarehā tonu ‘just
the day before
yesterday’
4.4
The following are broken into their constituent parts:
ā kō ake nei
‘presently’ ā kō kō ake nei
‘presently’
ā kō tonu ake
nei ‘in a tick’ nō nā noa nei ‘just
now’
o nā noa nei
‘of just now’ o nā tata nei
‘of recent times’
o nakua nei
‘of recent times’ o nāianei ‘of
now’
o napō
‘of last night’ o nanahi
‘of yesterday’
o natahirā
‘of the day before last’ o namata ‘of
ancient times’
o nehe
‘of ancient times’
o neherā
‘of ancient times
(and any
other similar time phrases beginning with ‘o’)
5.
The prefix ‘ā’ meaning ‘in the manner of’
A hyphen is
used to link the ‘ā’ (‘in the manner of’) prefix to the word that follows it:
waiata ā-ringa ‘action song’
hui ā-tau ‘annual meeting’
kite ā-kanohi ‘to see with one’s own
eyes’
tō ā-papa ‘gravity’
kare ā-roto ‘emotions’
tikanga ā-iwi ‘cultural practice’
te whakamāori
ā-waha,
ā-tuhi
anō hoki ‘interpretation and translation’
me utu ā-moni
tūturu nei, ā-haki rānei ‘pay in cash or by cheque’
6.
‘Mā’ in numbers
Where ‘mā’ is
used to link the parts of numbers over ten, the word is written separately,
without hyphens linking it to the rest of the expression:
tekau mā
tahi ‘eleven’
e toru tekau
mā ono ‘thirty-six’
e whitu rau
mā rima ‘seven hundred and
five’
te tau rua
mano mā iwa ‘the year two thousand and nine’
7.
‘Mā’ to link the points of the compas
Where ‘mā’ is
used to link two of the four points of the compass to indicate a direction
midway between the two points, a hyphen is placed either side of ‘mā’:
tonga-mā-uru
‘south-west’ uru-mā-raki ‘north-west’
rāwhiti-mā-raki
‘north-east’
8.
whaka + te + noun
Where ‘whaka’
is followed by ‘te’, and this in turn is followed by a noun to indicate ‘in the
direction of (the noun)’, the compound is written as one word, without
hyphens:
whakatemauī ‘to/towards the left’
whakateuru ‘to/towards the west’
whakateihu ‘to/towards the bow (of the canoe)’
whakatengutuawa ‘to/towards the river mouth’)
Note: However, where the noun itself contains hyphens,
these remain intact:
whakateuru-mā-raki
9.
Flora and fauna
Compound
names of birds, fish, insects, plants, etc are written as separate words, with
no hyphens:
kiwi kura ‘North Island brown kiwi’ kiwi pukupuku ‘little
spotted kiwi’
mangō pare ‘hammerhead shark’ mangō pounamu ‘great
blue shark’
tunga rākau
‘huhu grub’ tunga rere ‘huhu
beetle’
tī kōuka
‘cabbage tree’
10.
koia vs ko ia
10.1
Where this expression is used to refer to a person, including
references to atua, and personifications, it is written as two words, ‘ko
ia’:
Rangi: Ko wai
o kōrua kei te taraiwa? Pare: Ko ia.
(Rangi: Which of you is driving? Pare: She is.)
Ko ia
kei te horoi i ngā utauta, ko māua kei te whakamaroke.
(He’s washing the dishes, and we’re drying them.)
Ko Hinemoana
tērā – ko ia tētahi o ngā atua o te moana.
(That’s Hinemoana – she is one of the rulers of the oceans.)
Me kore ake a Tamanuiterā – ko ia nei hoki te
kaiwhakamahana o te ao.
We’d be lost without Tamanuiterā, for it is he who keeps
us warm.
10.2
In all other instances, ‘koia’ is used:
Koia
te take i noho ai au ki te kāinga.
(That’s the reason I stayed home.)
Koia tērā ko te pou matua o te whare.
(That’s the main pole of the house.)
Koia
ēnei ko ngā ingoa o te marama i tēnā pō, i tēnā pō.
(These
are the names of the moon on each night.)
Rangi: Koirā
tana mate, he kore e whakarongo. Pare: Koia!
(Rangi: That’s his problem, he doesn’t listen. Pare: Indeed.)
He mea nui te
tohutō – koia e tohu ana ki hea tōia ai te oropuare i te kupu.
(The macron is important – it
shows where the vowels in a word should be pronounced long.)
back to contents
SECTION THREE
– PROPER NAMES
1. Capitalisation in proper names
The first letter of the name is capitalised. If there is an initial ‘Te’ the
first letter is capitalised, and the first letter of the next word is also
capitalised. The only other parts of a name to have initial capitals are those
which are themselves proper names (see No.3 below for more on the division of
compound proper names):
The first
letter of the name is capitalised. If there is
Māhina
Mere-tū-ahiahi
Ngāruawāhia
Kā-puna-karikari-a-Rākaihautū
Te Toko
Te Awamutu
Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga
Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa
Te Tauihu-o-Te-Waka-a-Māui
Te Upoko-o-Te-Ika (from Te Ika-a-Māui)
2.
Macron use in proper names
As with all
other Māori words, Te Taura Whiri recommends that macrons be used to indicate
long vowels in names, where they are known. It is important for the historical
record that the meaning and correct pronunciation of names from the past are
preserved. However, this convention must be tempered by a respect for people
spelling their names as they like. As a general rule, it is recommended that the
names of people from pre-1950 be written with macrons. Otherwise personal names
should be written with macrons only where the writer is confident this won’t
cause offence to the person whose name it is.
For the names of those people still living, use the form that they use or give
their consent for you to use.
3.
Division of compound proper names
It will be
apparent from this section that Te Taura Whiri has chosen to reduce the use of
hyphens to separate constituent parts of compound proper names. It does,
however, still support the use of hyphens to clarify component words in very
long names (as opposed to writing the words separately) and to demonstrate
clearly the form and entirety of the name.
Note:
It is important to read all of the conventions in this section, as some qualify
or rule out others.
3.1
Proper names containing six or fewer syllables are written without
hyphens:
(Note:
For this purpose, both single vowels and diphthongs, with or without a
consonant in front, are treated as single syllables – e.g. a, ā,
ao, ka and kao, are single syllables; ako, however,
is two.)
Hinenuitepō
Tamanuiterā Pūtikiwharanui
Rākaihikuroa Ruapūtahanga
Ātiamuri
Mangawharawhara Ōhingaiti
Ōrākeikōrako
Tūrangawaewae Tāmakimakaurau
Waikaremoana
3.2
Proper names containing seven or more syllables are broken into their
constituent parts, with the hyphen used to link the parts:
Hine-tūā-hōanga Mere-tū-ahiahi
Tamatea-pōkai-whenua
Kōkōmuka-taranga Whakamaikuku-tea-kautia-iho
3.3
Any proper name embedded in the main name is left intact, unless it too consists
of seven or more syllables:
Te Puna-a-Ruapūtahanga
Te Moana-o-Toitehuatahi
Te Ihu-o-Rūrū-mai-o-te-rangi
3.4
For names beginning with ‘Te’, this is always written as a separate word, and
the number of syllables in the rest of the name (following rules 3.1 and
3.2 above) determines whether the remainder of the word is hyphenated:
Te
Rauparaha Te Whetūmatarau
Te Rangiaorere
Te
Ruahine-mata-māori Te Uruuru-taiaha
Te Horohoroinga-nui-a-Tia
Exception:
However, where a name beginning with ‘Te’ is embedded in another name that
requires hyphenation, this name too takes a hyphen between the ‘Te’ and the rest
of the name:
Te Tuarā-o-Te-Rangihaeata
Te Awa-o-Te-Ruatapu
Te Pūkirikiri-a-Te-Ika-a-Te-Wehe Te Taurapa-o-Te-Waka-a-Māui
This extends
to those where only the first part of a name starting with ‘Te’ is
embedded in a hyphenated name:
Te Upoko-o-Te-Ika
(‘Te-Ika’
< Te Ika-a-Māui)
Te Taurapa-o-Te-Waka
(‘Te-Waka’ < Te Waka-a-Māui)
3.5
Names beginning with ‘Ngā/Kā’ follow rules 3.1 and 3.2 (unlike those beginning
with ‘Te’, where the ‘Te’ is always treated as a standalone item - see point 3.4
above):
Ngāmotu
Ngāuruhoe
Ngāruawāhia
Ngā-toki-mata-whao-rua
Kā-pākihi-whakatekateka-a-Waitaha
Kā-puna-karikari-a-Rākaihautū
3.6
Where any of the particles ‘a’, ‘o’, or ‘ā’
occur within a name, the name is hyphenated to show its constituent parts:
Taupō-nui-a-Tia
Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa
Tōrere-nui-a-Rua
Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga
Te
Tokanga-nui-a-Noho Māhina-a-rangi
Tahu-nui-a-rangi
Wehi-nui-a-mamao
Te Moana-o-Toitehuatahi
Te Upoko-o-Te-Ika
Te Kahu-o-te-rangi
Te Taurapa-o-Te-Waka(-a-Māui)
Tikitiki-o-rangi
Marere-o-tonga
Whiringa-ā-rangi
Te Tai-hau-ā-uru
3.7
Where any of the particles ‘te’, ‘i’ or ‘ki’ occurs within a name, the name
is not hyphenated (unless one of the other rules obtains):
Hinenuitepō Tamanuiterā
Hinetūteao
Tānetewaiora
Hine-te-iwaiwa (7 syllables)
Te Papaioea
Ngātoroirangi Te Kuraimonoa
Hineitīweka
Hinekiwaiaua Hape-ki-tūārangi
(7 syllables)
3.8
Where a name that requires hyphenation contains a noun (or nouns) followed by a
short, commonly occurring adjective such as ‘nui’, ‘iti’ or ‘roa’, it is
acceptable to omit the hyphen between the noun and the adjective. The rest of
the name still remains hyphenated:
Te
Whanganui-a-Tara
Taupōnui-a-Tia
Tōrerenui-a-Rua
Te Tokanganui-a-Noho
Rotoiti-kite-a-Īhenga
Te
Oneroa-a-Tōhē
Te Pohonui-o-Ranginui
Note:
Where two adjectives occur next to each other in such a name, only the first
can be attached directly to the noun; a hyphen remains in place between the two
adjectives.
Rotorua-nui-a-Kahu
4.
Where the last letter of one word is the same as the first letter of the word
that follows it, a hyphen is used to separate the two words:
Kai-iwi Waha-aruhe
Wai-inanga Pito-one
5.
Names for the seas and other water masses beginning with ‘Te’, other than
those involving the word ‘Tai’ (see rule 6 below), follow the earlier rules in
this section:
Te Wairarapa
Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa / Te Moananui-a-Kiwa
Te
Moana-o-Toi Te Moana-o-Toitehuatahi
Te
Ara-a-Kewa Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara
/ Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Te
Aukānapanapa Te Matau-a-Māui
Te Moana-tāpokopoko-a-Tāwhaki
6.
For names for the seas, other water masses, coasts and regions beginning with
‘Te Tai’, both ‘Te’ and ‘Tai’ stand alone, unless ‘Tai’ is followed
directly by ‘o’ or ‘a’ (see No.7 below):
Te Tai Tokerau Te Tai
Rāwhiti Te Tai Hau-ā-uru
Te Tai
Tonga Te Tai Tamawahine
Te Tai Tamatāne
Te Tai
Poutini
7.
Where either ‘o’ or ‘a’ follows ‘Tai’, it is joined to ‘Tai’ with a hyphen, as
are any additional parts of the name:
Te Tai-o-Rehua Te Tai-o-Marokura
Te Tai-o-Āraiteur
8.
Names of tribes, hapū etc
The words
Ngā, Ngāi, Ngāti, Te and Te Āti
are written separately. The remainder of the name follows the rules given
earlier in this section:
Ngā
Puhi
Ngā Ruahinerangi (6
syllables)
Ngāi
Tahu
Ngāi Tūāhuriri (5
syllables)
Ngāi
Te Rangi (initial ‘Te’)
Ngāi Tamaterangi (non-initial ‘te’)
Ngāti
Porou
Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri (6
syllables)
Te
Rarawa
Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti
(contains an ‘a’)
Te
Whānau-a-Ruataupare (contains an ‘a’, Ruataupare = 5 syllables)
Te Āti
Awa
Te Āti Hau-nui-a-Pāpārangi / Te Āti
Haunui-a-Pāpārangi
(7 syllables)
9.
In
names of organisations, departments
etc, the initial letter of the first word is capitalised, as well as the initial
letter of all subsequent proper names, nouns, adjectives and verbs:
Te
Puna
Mātauranga o Aotearoa (National Library of New Zealand)
Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga
(Archives New Zealand)
Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa (Massey University)
Ngā Kaiwhakapūmau i te Reo (Wellington
Māori Language Board)
Tatauranga Aotearoa (Statistics New Zealand)
Note:
This is
given as a guide only. The names of organisations will not necessarily conform
to the conventions given here, and it is standard practice to respect the form
and spelling given in an organisation’s official title.
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SECTION FOUR
– CAPITALIZATION
1.
Use upper case ‘T’ in the definite article ‘Te’:
1.1.
Where it is the first word of the name of a person, tribe, place, region,
constellation etc:
Te
Puea
Te Mātorohanga
Te Rarawa
Te
Whānau-a-Apanui
Te Waipounamu
Te
Ika-a-Māui
Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa
Te Tai
Tokerau
Te
Tuke-o-Māui
Te
Kupenga-a-Taramainuku
Note: For names that are sometimes written or said
without an initial ‘Te’, if the written form includes the ‘Te’, this is
capitalized:
Wharehuia
> Te Wharehuia
Waiārani
>
Te Waiārani
Māhia
> Te Māhia
Wairarapa
> Te Wairarapa
Whakarewarewa
> Te Whakarewarewa
1.2
Where it is the first word of the name of an organisation, school, movement
etc:
Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori
Te
Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga
Te
Kōti Whenua Māori
Te Rūnaka ki Ōtautahi o Kāi Tahu
Te
Wānanga o Aotearoa
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi
Te Kotahitanga (Māori political movement)
Te Kaieke Tohorā (name of a book)
2.
Use lower case ‘te’:
2.1
Where it precedes the name of a book, article, act, or document:
te Paipera Tapu ‘Holy
Bible’
te Tiriti o Waitangi ‘Treaty of
Waitangi’
te
Ture Reo Māori ‘Māori Language Act’
te Pire Rūnanga Iwi ‘Rūnanga Iwi
Bill’
2.2
Where it precedes a person’s title or position:
te Minita Māori ‘Minister of
Māori Affairs’
te Pirimia
‘Prime Minister’
te
Tumuaki ‘Chairperson; Principal’
te Kaiwhakahaere
‘Manager’
te Tumu Whakarae ‘the Executive’
ngā Pou Whakahaere ‘the Managers’
ngā Minita
‘Ministers’
te
Atua ‘God’
te Ariki
‘the Lord’
te Wairua Tapu ‘the Holy
Spirit’
2.3
Where it precedes the name of an institution, where the ‘te’ is not part of
the actual title (as in 1.2):
te Karauna ‘the Crown’
te
Kāwanatanga ‘the Government’
te Pāremata ‘Parliament’
te Hāhi Rātana ‘the Rātana Church’
2.4
Where it precedes the name of a festival, celebration etc:
te Hānuere (o te Hāhi Ringatū) te Kirihimete
‘Christmas’
te Aranga ‘Easter’
te
Wiki o te Reo Māori ‘Māori Language Week’
2.5 Where it precedes the
days of the week:
te Mane ‘Monday’
te
Rāmere ‘Friday’
te Rātapu ‘Sunday’
2.6
Where it precedes the name of a month:
te Pipiri ‘June’
te
Haratua ‘May’
te Pepuere ‘February’
3.
National, ethnic or religious groups
3.1 As
nouns, these words are capitalised:
te Māori ‘the Māori’
te Pākehā ‘the Pākehā’
he Hāmoa ‘a Samoan person’
ngā Katorika ‘Catholics’
3.2 As
adjectives, these words are capitalised:
he rongoā
Māori ‘a Māori remedy’
te reo
Pākehā ‘the English language’
ngā tikanga
Hāmoa ‘Samoan customs’
he kura Katorika ‘a Catholic school’
Note:
When māori is used meaning ‘ordinary’, ‘natural’ or ‘native’, it is not
capitalized:
moe
māori
‘common law marriage’
wai māori ‘fresh water’
rongoā
māori ‘natural remedy’ rākau
māori ‘native tree’
4.
Where a kinship term is used
in front of or in place of
a personal name, it is capitalised:
Kei te haere
mai a Whaea Roimata. (Whaea/Aunty Roimata’s coming
over.)
Ko Matua
Rangi kei te waea. (It’s
Matua/Uncle Rangi on
the phone.)
Kia tere, Māmā!
(Hurry up,
Mum!)
Kia ora,
Pāpā. (Hi
Dad.)
E Mā,
kei whea taku pōtae? (Mum, where’s my hat?)
Kua haere kē
a Koro. (Koro’s already
gone.)
5.
Where kinship and other terms of address follow ‘e’ or ‘kei’, they are not
capitalised:
‘e pē...’
‘e kō’ ‘e
mara’
‘e
kara’
‘e tama’
‘e kare’ ‘e
hika’
‘e pā’
‘e kui’
‘e koro’ ‘e
hine mā, e tama mā...’
‘e taku
mokopuna...’ ‘e te tau’ ‘e
ipo’
‘e te
rangatira’ ‘e ngā iwi, e ngā reo, e ngā
karangatanga maha...’
‘e te puna
o te kī’ ‘kei aku raukura’ ‘kei
taku
manu tīoriori’
6.
Where a title is used in front of a personal name, it is capitalised:
Kāpene
Kuki
‘Captain Cook’
Kāwana
Kerei ‘Governor Grey’
Rata
Paraone ‘Doctor Paraone’
Tākuta
Rangiuru ‘Doctor Rangiuru’
Tiati
Maketānara ‘Judge McDonald’
Pīhopa
Whakahuihui Vercoe ‘Bishop Whakahuihui Vercoe’
7.
Where ‘ngāi’ and ‘ngāti’ are used to preface something other than a recognised
iwi or hapū, they are not capitalised. Nor are the accompanying words that
complete the expression:
ngāi tāua
ngāi tātou
ngāi tauiwi
ngāi kirimangu
ngāi
turekore mā
ngāi pōpokoriki
mā
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