Key takeaways
- Kia ora is the all-purpose greeting: hello, hi, and thanks, all in two words.
- Formal greetings change with how many people you address: tēnā koe (one), tēnā kōrua (two), tēnā koutou (three or more).
- To ask how someone is, say Kei te pēhea koe? and reply Kei te pai (I'm good).
- Farewells depend on who is leaving: haere rā (go well) vs e noho rā (stay well).
- The macron (tohutō) marks a long vowel and can change a word's meaning, so it matters when you write te reo.
Starting the day with a greeting in te reo Māori is one of the simplest, highest-impact ways to bring the language into your classroom. You don't need to be fluent. A confident "kia ora tātou" at the door, a te reo roll-call, and a shared farewell at the bell are enough to make te reo part of the everyday, not a one-off lesson.
This guide gives you the greetings teachers actually use, grouped by when you'd say them. Each phrase includes its meaning and the situation it fits, so you can pick the right one instead of defaulting to "kia ora" for everything. Say them out loud with your class—te reo is a spoken language first.
Everyday greetings in te reo Māori
These are the greetings you'll reach for most. "Kia ora" is the workhorse—hello, thanks, and a general good-will greeting all at once. The "tēnā" greetings are more formal and are the ones to use with visitors, at assembly, or when you want to show respect.
| Māori | English | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Kia ora | Hello / thanks | The all-purpose greeting to one person; also means 'thank you' |
| Kia ora tātou | Hello everyone | Greeting a whole group, including yourself |
| Mōrena | Good morning | Casual morning greeting (borrowed from English 'morning') |
| Ata mārie | Good morning | A gentler, fuller greeting—literally 'peaceful morning' |
| Tēnā koe | Greetings (formal) | Formal greeting to one person |
| Tēnā kōrua | Greetings (formal) | Formal greeting to two people |
| Tēnā koutou | Greetings (formal) | Formal greeting to three or more people |
| Nau mai, haere mai | Welcome | Welcoming someone as they arrive |
| Pō mārie | Good night | An evening or night-time farewell |
One, two, or many? Choosing the right greeting
Te reo Māori changes the word for 'you' depending on how many people you're talking to. Getting this right is a quick win that shows real care with the language:
- koe — you (one person): Tēnā koe
- kōrua — you two: Tēnā kōrua
- koutou — you three or more: Tēnā koutou
- tātou — us all (including the speaker): Kia ora tātou
So when you greet your whole class, "kia ora koutou" (to them) or "kia ora tātou" (to us all) is more accurate than a singular "kia ora." A common formal roll-out is tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa—greetings to you all, three times, a rhetorical pattern you'll hear on the marae and at assemblies.
Asking and answering 'how are you?'
Pair the greeting with a check-in. "Kei te pēhea koe?" (how are you?) turns a one-word hello into a real conversation—perfect for a morning circle or a te reo roll-call where each student replies with how they're feeling.
| Māori | English |
|---|---|
| Kei te pēhea koe? | How are you? (to one person) |
| Kei te pai (ahau) | I'm good / fine |
| Kei te ora | I'm well |
| Kei te ngenge | I'm tired |
| Kei te hiakai | I'm hungry |
| Kei te māuiui | I'm unwell / sick |
Saying goodbye in Māori
Farewells in te reo depend on who is leaving and who is staying—a lovely detail to teach because it makes students think about the other person, not just themselves:
- Haere rā — 'go well'. Said by the person who is staying to the one who is leaving.
- E noho rā — 'stay well'. Said by the person who is leaving to those who are staying.
- Ka kite anō — 'see you again'. A casual, everyday 'see you later' either person can use.
- Mā te wā — 'until next time'. Relaxed and open-ended, good for the end of the day.
So at home time, students heading out the door say "e noho rā" and you—staying in the room—reply "haere rā."
The hongi: a greeting you can feel
In formal settings such as a pōwhiri (welcome ceremony), Māori greet with the hongi—pressing noses and foreheads together to share the hā, the breath of life. It's a moment worth explaining to students even if you don't practise it: greetings in te reo Māori are about connection and relationship (whanaungatanga), not just words.
How to pronounce Māori greetings
Māori has just five vowel sounds, and each is said the same way every time—once you know them, you can pronounce any word.
- a — as in car (short) / father (long)
- e — as in peg
- i — as in ski
- o — as in or
- u — as in moon
Three quick rules that fix most mistakes:
- The macron (tohutō)—the line over a vowel, as in tēnā or mōrena—means hold the vowel longer. It can change meaning: keke is 'cake', but kēkē is 'armpit'.
- 'wh' is usually said like an English f: whānau sounds like 'FAH-now'.
- 'ng' is the sound in singer (not 'n' + hard 'g'): ngenge starts softly.
The number of New Zealanders the Crown's Maihi Karauna strategy aims to have speaking basic te reo Māori by 2040.
Source: Te Puni Kōkiri, Maihi Karauna strategy
Build a daily te reo greeting routine
- 1
Greet at the door
Meet students with 'mōrena' or 'kia ora' as they arrive. A predictable greeting each morning is the fastest way to normalise te reo.
- 2
Open with a group greeting
Start the mat session or first period with 'kia ora tātou' or 'tēnā koutou katoa' so the whole class hears the plural forms daily.
- 3
Do a te reo roll-call
Ask 'Kei te pēhea koe?' and have each student reply—kei te pai, kei te ngenge, kei te hiakai—so everyone speaks te reo every day.
- 4
Close with a farewell
End the day with the leaving/staying pattern: students say 'e noho rā', you reply 'haere rā', or share a simple 'ka kite anō'.
- 5
Add a written practice
Reinforce the spoken routine with a matching or flashcard worksheet so students see the spelling, including the macrons, and can revise at home.
Turn these greetings into a ready-to-print worksheet
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Make a Māori greetings worksheetFrequently asked questions
Kia ora. It works as 'hello', 'hi', and 'thank you', and can be said to one person or as a general good-will greeting. It's the easiest phrase to start with.
Kia ora is informal and everyday. Tēnā koe is more formal and respectful and is said to one person—use it for visitors, at assembly, or on the marae. For groups it becomes tēnā kōrua (two) or tēnā koutou (three or more).
Kei te pēhea koe? (to one person). A common reply is Kei te pai (I'm good), or Kei te ngenge (I'm tired) and Kei te hiakai (I'm hungry).
That line is a macron, or tohutō. It shows the vowel is held longer and can change meaning—for example keke means 'cake' but kēkē means 'armpit'. Writing macrons correctly matters.
It depends on who is leaving. The person leaving says e noho rā ('stay well') to those staying; those staying reply haere rā ('go well'). Ka kite anō means 'see you again' and works for anyone.