Te Reo Kapekape: Maori Wit and Humour

Following on from the successful He Iti te Kupu: Maori Metaphors and Similes, Hona Black’s new book explores the rich vein of humour in Maori life. Want to know how to call a silly person a ’roro hipi / sheep’s brain’, or bring out ’same old, same old’ when the conversation is going round in circles? The answers are all in Te Reo Kapekape (literally, ’the language of poking fun’), with more than 130 humorous and unique phrases in te reo and English that can be used to describe people, events and actions. The sayings are divided into four chapters - above the hip, below the hip, other phrases, and idioms. Using a cast of characters and dramatised dialogue, Hona explains each phrase and gives examples and suggestions for use - whether to tease, crack a joke or just add some flair to your daily use. This book will be a valuable resource for anyone wanting to spice up their te reo or English with some fun and cheeky Maori sayings, and will appeal to both language learners and fluent speakers of te reo Maori.

Hona Black (Tūhoe, Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) lectures on teaching for Māori medium schools at Te Pūtahi a Toi: School of Māori Knowledge at Massey University, Palmerston North. He has worked as the Senior Māori Adviser on Massey’s Wellington campus, and been Head of Te Reo Māori at Hato Pāora College in Feilding. Hona lives in Porirua, New Zealand, with his partner and their baby son.