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This section includes first names of Māori origin. Māori names are used among the indigenous peoples of New Zealand and their descendants and represent an ancient Polynesian heritage that is in danger of disappearing.
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Browse Māori male and female names by alphabetical order to find out the meanings of the names. Click on the first letter of the name you're looking for.
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The Māori language is an Austronesian language which is spoken by fewer than 60,000 native speakers in New Zealand, plus another 100,000 who can speak a little or understand it. The Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. They began as Austronesian-speaking aborigines from Taiwan who began sailing east 5000 years ago, ending up in Polynesia 2000 years ago.
Migrating Polynesians brought their language southwest to New Zealand before the 14th century. The Māori language began to decline with European settlements in the 17th century and is currently endangered. Its closest relative is Tahitian, and it is also in the same family as Hawaiian.
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