Mihi whakatau
A mihi whakatau is a general welcome in Māori. It's less formal than a pōwhiri. Generally it will gather everyone together without a karanga (greeting call or incantation), and it will start with a whaikōrero (speech). After the hosts have delivered their whaikōrero, the visitors do not need to respond unless there is someone within the visiting group who can respond appropriately.
You can find out more about mihi whakatau in our cultural guidelines handbook.
Mihimihi
A mihimihi is when all participants at an event introduce themselves (whakawhānaungatanga) and establish links with each other. Mihimihi greetings can be formal or informal, and are usually done at the beginning of any hui or gathering.
You can start off with a simple mihimihi and add more to it as your language progresses. We've created a guide to help you structure a simple, informal mihimihi – choose phrases from the options provided to create yours.
| Mihimihi structure | Mihimihi phrases in te reo Māori |
|---|---|
| Tuwheratanga (opening statement) | a. Tēnā koutou katoa.b. Tēnā koutou e aku rangatira. |
| Ngā mate (acknowledging the deceased) | a. Tuarua, ki ngā mate, haere, haere, haere atu rā.b. Ki ngā tini aitua, haere, haere, whakangaro atu rā. |
| Tangata whenua (acknowledging local iwi) | a. Ka mihi ki te iwi kāinga, ki a ＿＿＿b. He mihi ki te iwi e tau nei, ＿＿＿ tēnā koutou. |
| Te roopu/whānau (acknowledging those present) | a. Ki a tātou e tau nei, kia ora.b. Ki a tātou e tau nei, ka nui taku mihi. |
| Whakakapi (conclusion) | a. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.b. Nō reira e hoa mā, me mutu i konei. |
Introduce yourself with a pepeha
Introducing yourself is an important aspect of te ao Māori, as it lets us draw connections with each other. You can introduce yourself with a pepeha as part of your mihimihi. This video, provided by Te Rangaihi Reo Maori assists you in learning your mihi to introduce yourself .
| Māori phrase | English phrase |
|---|---|
| Ko ＿＿＿ te waka | My canoe is [name of your waka] |
| Ko ＿＿＿ te maunga | My mountain is [name of your mountain] |
| Ko ＿＿＿ te awa | My river is [name of your river] |
| Ko ＿＿＿ te iwi | My tribe is [name of your tribe] |
| Ko ＿＿＿ te hapū | My sub tribe is [name of your sub tribe] |
| Ko ＿＿＿ te rangatira | [Name of your chief] is the chief |
| Ko ＿＿＿ te marae | My marae is [name of your marae] |
| Ko ＿＿＿ ahau | I am [your name] |