Te Reo MāoriFreePrintable

Māori Greetings and Whanaungatanga

A free te reo māori worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Download now

Name:Date:

Māori Greetings and Whanaungatanga

Kahu, Nikau and Manaia are helping welcome teams to a football tournament in Aotearoa New Zealand. Use the greeting guide and the situations to choose words that fit. Read Māori words carefully, including their macrons.

Greeting guide

Kia ora — hello; often used informally with one person or a group. A respectful greeting for one person. Tēnā kōrua — a respectful greeting to two people. Tēnā koutou — a respectful greeting to three or more people. A phrase used to welcome people and invite them to come. Ngā mihi — greetings or thanks, depending on context. Whanaungatanga is the building and care of relationships, connection and belonging.

Choose the right words

Use the tournament situations to show how greetings can help people feel recognised and welcome.

1.A new player arrives alone. Which greeting from the guide is a respectful way to greet one person?

Tēnā koe
Tēnā kōrua
Tēnā koutou
Haere mai

2.Two visiting team members approach the welcome desk. Complete the greeting: “ kōrua.”

3.A whole team of five players arrives. Which greeting is best suited to address them respectfully?

4.The organisers invite the visiting teams to come into the team area. Which phrase means “welcome” or invites people to come?

Ngā mihi
Haere mai
Tēnā koe
Kia ora

5.Match each greeting to the situation that best fits it.

Tēnā koe
Tēnā kōrua
Tēnā koutou
Haere mai

Respectfully greeting two people
Welcoming people to come in
Respectfully greeting one person
Respectfully greeting three or more people

6.True or false: Whanaungatanga is about building relationships, connection and belonging.

TrueFalse

Put greetings into practice

Think about how words, tone and actions work together when meeting people.

7.Kahu says “Kia ora” to a friend, then uses a welcoming phrase with a family arriving to watch the match. Explain what each phrase does in this situation.

8.Nikau greets the opposing team and learns their names before the match. Give one way this could help build whanaungatanga.

9.Write a short welcome for a team of three or more visitors. Include a suitable Māori greeting and one friendly sentence that helps them feel they belong.

10.Manaia is greeting a visiting player. Name two respectful actions, besides choosing the right words, that can help the player feel welcome. Answers may vary.

11.Write one sentence explaining how using a greeting thoughtfully can support whanaungatanga at the football tournament.