Kia ora

The latest collection of new and changed Ngā Upoko Tukutuku headings are now available for use on the National Library website.

These are the product of our recent Zoom hui, so it’s wonderful to be able to share these. We’d also love to have more requests to work on - tukua mai ōu whakaaro mō ngā ingoa me tāpiri anō ki te pae tukutuku!

Sending in requests is a really easy process: if you're handling a collection item that is either in te reo Māori or has content about Māori, and you can't find an existing term in our thesaurus to suit your item, please email reo@dia.govt.nz with your suggestion and the details of what you were working on. Suggestions in English where you don't know a Māori term are just fine. Please get those suggestions rolling in and we'll add them to our worklist.

As Te Whakakaokao has created a large number of new terms since the previous release, the notes below only represent a selection of the changes – please explore the website for the full list.

Details of the Whiringa-ā-rangi/Noema/November 2022 release

Death is an integral part of the cycle of human existence, and Te Whakakaokao has created new terms that relate to this domain. Kaikauhoa has been added to convey the concept of pallbearers, while Whakatakataka tūpāpaku may be used to describe funeral directors. The term Whakatahe refers to miscarriages, stillbirths, and abortions.

Returning to the world of light, two new top terms have been created to express significant new concepts that did not align with any of the top terms in the previous structure. Whakaruruhau is an all-encompassing term for all aspects of shelter, whether tangible or intangible. It spans topics ranging from Moenga (Beds and bedding) to Wharau (Temporary dwellings and shelters). A related but different top term Hangatanga has been created to describe physical constructions that are connected to the land and are built by humans rather than naturally formed. Narrower concepts of Hangatanga include the new term Arawhiti (Bridges) and existing term Whare (Buildings).

Love was another significant concept explored in this release. This is a complex area in Te Ao Māori, with many different terms in use for specific kinds of love or in particular contexts. After much discussion, the term Aroha was added to convey the idea of love expressed as an emotion, encompassing charity, passion, compassion, care, empathy, sympathy and affection as well as romantic love. While this term may seem very broad in application, this is consistent with the scope of Aroha within mātauranga Māori ways of knowing.

Te Whakakaokao has also clarified the structure linking the existing terms Pou rāhui, Pou whenua, Poupou, Poutāhuhu, Poutokomanawa, Poutuarongo and Tohu maumahara. The broader term Pou was created to describe the general category of pou as upright posts intended to be anchored in the ground or attached to a structure. It may be applied as a generic term representing all kinds of pou when a more specific term is not available.

The new term Petihana Reo Māori was created to describe the 1972 petition to recognise and revitalise te reo Māori. This is very timely in the context of the fiftieth anniversary of the presentation of the Petihana Reo Māori to Parliament. While Te Whakakaokao generally does not create terms for documents such as petitions, appropriate headings in other thesauri are lacking and the new term offers much needed access.

We have added a range of topics which may be useful for resources describing traditional or contemporary clothing, sewing, weaving or textile arts. These include: Pākē kārure (a waist or shoulder garment made from long strands of twisted muka), Tui paparangarua (Quilting), Whakatipu (Rain capes), Patui (Bone or wooden needles), Ngira (Contemporary sewing needles), Pūrere tuitui (Sewing machines) and Tohunga raranga (Weavers). On a related note, the term Hīnātore was also created. While Hīnātore literally refers to phosphorescent light, it also describes inspiration or a creative spark in the context of artistic or inventive processes.

Finally, as a taster for the many other interesting additions in this release, you will see new terms for Akoranga koiri (Physical education), Kaipuke (Ships), Kurī ārahi (Guide dogs), Matawā (Clocks), Moenga (Beds and bedding) and Papa tākaro (Playing fields).

Ngā Upoko Hou – Full list of new terms

Akoranga koiri - Physical education

Arawhiti - Bridges

Aroha - Love

Hangatanga - Structures

Hīnātore - Inspiration

Hinu kakara - Essential oils, perfumes

Hoariri - Enemies

Huna - Hide and seek (Game)

Kaikauhoa - Pallbearers

Kaipuke - Sailing or transport ships

Kaiwhakawā - Judges