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comment by Cumol
Cumol  ·  1638 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: June 24, 2020

Reading it I also wondered what "Kia kaha" means. That is beautiful.

I always wonder how New Zealand managed to make Maori part of its culture instead of slaughtering everyone...





Foveaux  ·  1638 days ago  ·  link  ·  

The lesser used full sentence is - Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawa. "Be strong, be brave, be steadfast".

I'll be the first to admit we have a long ways to go as far as NZ race relations are concerned. Maori make up a ridiculously high percentage of our prison population and life is far more likely to be difficult if you're Maori.

But the language is taught in most schools, the culture and history is becoming well known throughout. There's a good amount of care taken to ensure it is involved in a child's life at the very least.