# Cook Islands Māori

Cook Islands Māori is an Eastern Polynesian language that is the official language of the Cook Islands. Cook Islands Māori is closely related to, but distinct from, New Zealand Māori. Cook Islands Māori is called just Māori when there is no need to distinguish it from New Zealand Māori. It is also known as Māori Kūki ʻĀirani (or Maori Kuki Airani), or as Rarotongan. Many Cook Islanders also call it Te reo Ipukarea, which translates as "the language of the ancestral homeland".

## Official status

English is the official language of the Cook Islands. Cook Islands Māori became an official language of the Cook Islands in 2003 as defined by the Te Reo Maori Act 2003.

### Te Reo Maori Act definition

The Te Reo Maori Act 2003 states that Māori:
   * means the Māori language (including its various dialects) as spoken or written in any island of the Cook Islands; and
   * Is deemed to include Pukapukan as spoken or written in Pukapuka; and
   * Includes Māori that conforms to the national standard for Māori approved by Kopapa Reo.

## Writing system and pronunciation

There is a debate about the standardisation of the writing system. Although usage of the macron (־) makarona and the glottal stop (ʻ) amata is recommended, most speakers do not use them in everyday writing. The Cook Islands Māori Revised New Testament uses a standardised orthography that includes the ʻokina and macron.

### Consonants

| | Labial | Alveolar | Velar | Glottal |
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | |
| Plosive | p | t | k | ʔ |
| Tap | | ɾ | | |
| Fricative | f v | s | | h |
* ↑ Present only in Manihiki
* ↑ Present only in Penrhyn
* ↑ Present only in Manihiki and Penrhyn

### Vowels

| | Front | Central | Back |
| Close | i iː | | u uː |
| Close-mid | e eː | | o oː |
| Open | | a aː | |

## Grammar

Cook Islands Māori is an isolating language with very little morphology. Case is marked by the particle that initiates a noun phrase, and like most East Polynesian languages, Cook Islands Māori has nominative-accusative case marking.
The unmarked constituent order is predicate initial: that is, verb initial in verbal sentences and nominal-predicate initial in non-verbal sentences.

### Personal pronouns

| Person | Singular | Dual | Plural |
| 1st inclusive | au | tāua | tātou$^1$ |
| 1st exclusive | au | māua | mātou$^2$ |
| 2nd | koe | kōrua | kōtou |
| 3rd | aia | rāua | rātou |
* you -2 or more- and I
* they and I
Singular pronoun examples :
| Pronoun | Cook Islands Maori | English | Word-to-word and gloss |
| au | Ka ʻaere au ki te ʻāpiʻi āpōpō listen | I'm going to school tomorrow. | (unaccomplished asp.)/ go / I / (prep. goal/destination) / the / learn / tomorrow |
| au | Ka ʻārote au inanaʻi, nō te ua rā, kua ʻakakore au | I was going to do the ploughing yesterday, but gave it up because of the rain. | (unaccomplished asp.) / plough / I / yesterday / because (origin) / the / rain / day /(perfect asp.) / give up (litt. "do nothing") /I |
| koe | Kua kino iā koe tō mātou mōtokā | You damaged our car. | (perfect asp.) / bad / by / you /(possession)/we (exclusive) /car |
| koe | Ko koe ʻoki, te tangata tā te ʻakavā e kimi nei | You are the person the police are looking for. | (subject marker) / you / also / the / man / (possession) / the / police / (progressive asp. with "nei") /look for/here and now. |
| aia | ʻEaʻa ʻaia i ʻaere mai ei | Why did he/she come? | why (ʻeaʻa... ei) / he or she / (accomplished asp) / go / towards me / |
| aia | Kāre ʻaia i konei | He/she is not here. | (negation asp.) / he or she / (marking position) / here |
Dual pronoun examples :
| Pronoun | Cook Islands Maori | English | Word-to-word and gloss |
| Tāua | ʻaere tāua ! | Let us go! | go / we two (inclusive) |
| Tāua | Ko tō tāua taeake tērā ake | Here come our friends. | (subject marker) / (possession) / we two (inclusive) / friend or relative of the same generation (brother, sister, cousin either sex) speaking, but not in laws./ that (deictic)/ a little time (or distance)away |
| we two, us two (he/she and I) | Ka ʻoki māua ko Taria ki te kāinga listen | Taria and I are going back home. | (unaccomplished asp.)/ return / we two (exclusive) / with / Taria/ (prep. goal)/ the / home |
| we two, us two (he/she and I) | To tāua taeake tērā ake | Here come our friends. | (subject marker) / possession / we two (exclusive) / friend / that (deictic)/ a little time (or distance away) |
| Kōrua : you two | ʻāe ! kua rongo kōrua i te nūti! | Hey! Have you heard the news? | hey (interj) / (perfect asp.) / hear / you two / (object marker) / the / news / |
| Kōrua : you two | Na kōrua teia puka | This book belongs to you two. | (Possession) / you two / this (deictic) / book |
| Rāua : they, them (the two of them) | Tuatua muna tēia, ka akakite ʻua atu au kia rāua | This is a confidential matter, I shall only tell it to those two. | speak, speech / secret / this / (unaccomplished asp.) / reveal (make known) / only / away (from the speaker)/ I / (prep. ki+a)towards (someone)/ they two |
| Rāua : they, them (the two of them) | No ʻea mai rāua ? | Where have the two of them been? / What have they been doing? | from / (time and space interr.) / (indicating progression of time towards present) / they two |
Plural pronoun examples :
| Pronoun | Cook Islands Maori | English | Word-to-word and gloss |
| Tātou : We, us (you -2 or more- and I) | Koʻai tā tātou e tiaki nei | Who are we waiting for? | Who (subject marker+identity interr.) / (possession) / we, all of us (inclusive) / (progressive asp.) / wait for / here and now |
| Tātou : We, us (you -2 or more- and I) | Kāre ā tātou kai toe | We have no more food. | (Negation asp.) / (possession) / we, all of us (inclusive) / eat, food / remain, remaining, the rest |
| Mātou : we, us (they and I) | Ko mātou ma Tere mā i ʻaere mai ei | We came with Tere and the others. | (subject marker)/ we (exclusive) / with, and / Tere / (part used only after persons meaning those in company with / (accomplisshed asp.) / go / (movement towards speaker) / (emphasis marks) |
| Mātou : we, us (they and I) | Kua kite mai koe ia mātou | You saw us. | (perfect asp.) / see(towards speaker) / you / at someone (i+a) / we (exclusive) |
| Kōtou : (all of you) | E ʻaere atu kōtou, ka āru atu au | You go on, and I'll follow. | (imperative asp.)/ go / (away from the speaker) / you all / (unaccomplished asp.) / follow / go / (away from the speaker) / I |
| Kōtou : (all of you) | Ko kōtou koʻai mā i aere ei ki te tautai? listen | Who did you go fishing with? | (Subject marker) / you all / who (identity interr.) / in company with / (accomplished asp.) / go / (emphasis) / (goal/destination) / the / fishing |
| Rātou : they, them (more than two) | Kua pekapeka rātou ko Tere | They and Tere have quarrelled. | (perfect asp.)/ trouble / they all / (subject marker)/ Tere |
| Rātou : they, them (more than two) | Nō rātou te pupu māroʻiroʻi | They have the strongest team. | (Possession) / they all / the / team (litt. group of people) / strong |

### Tense-Aspect-Mood markers

| Marker | Aspect | Examples |
| Tē... nei | present continuous | Tē manako nei au i te ʻoki ki te ʻare : I am thinking of going back to the house Tē kata nei rātou : They are laughing Kāre au e tanu nei i te pia : I'm not planting any arrowroot |
| Kia | Mildly imperative or exhortatory, expressing a desire, a wish rather than a strong command. | Kia vave mai! : be quick ! (don't be long!) Kia viviki mai! : be quick (don't dawdle!) Kia manuia! : good luck! Kia rave ana koe i tēnā ʻangaʻanga : would you do that job Kia tae mai ki te angaʻanga ā te pōpongi Mōnitē : come to work on Monday morning Teia te tātāpaka, kia kai koe : Here's the breadfruit pudding, eat up |
| e | Imperative, order | e ʻeke koe ki raro : you get down e tū ki kō : stand over there |
| Auraka | interdiction, don't | Auraka rava koe e ʻāmiri i tēia niuniu ora, ka ʻutiʻutiʻia koe : don't on any account touch this live wire, you'll get a shock |
| kāre | indicate the negation, not, nothing, nowhere | Kāre nō te ua : It will not rain Kāre a Tī tuatua : Tī doesn't have anything to say |
| e... ana | habitual action or state | E ʻaere ana koe ki te ʻura : Do you go to the dance? E noʻo ana aia ki Nikao i tē reira tuātau : he used to live in Nikao at that time |
| Ka | Refers prospectively to the commencement of an action or state. Often translatable as the English future tense or "going to" construction | Ka imene a Mere ākonei ite pō : Mary is going to sing later on tonight Kua kite au ē ka riri a Tere : I know (or knew) that Tere will (or would) be angry |
| Kua | translatable as the English simple past or present tense (with adjectives) | Kua kite mai koe ia mātou : You saw us Kua meitaki koe ? : Are you better now? Kua oti te tārekareka : the match is over now |
Most of the preceding examples were taken from Cook Islands Maori Dictionary, by Jasper Buse with Raututi Taringa edited by Bruce Biggs and Rangi Moekaʻa, Auckland, 1995.

### Possessives

Like most other Polynesian languages (Tahitian, New Zealand Māori, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tongan ...), Cook Islands Māori has two categories of possessives, "a" and "o".
Generally, the "a" category is used when the possessor has or had control over the initiation of the possessive relationship. Usually this means that the possessor is superior or dominant to what is owned, or that the possession is considered as alienable. The "o" category is used when the possessor has or had no control over the initiation of the relationship. This usually means that the possessor is subordinate or inferior to what is owned, or that the possession is considered to be inalienable.
The following list indicates the types of things in the different categories:
* a is used in speaking of
** Movable property, instruments,
** Food and drink,
** Husband, wife, children, grandchildren, girlfriend, boyfriend,
** Animals and pets, (except for horses)
** People in an inferior position
    Te puaka a tērā vaʻine : the pig belonging to that woman;
    ā Tere tamariki : Tere's children;
    Kāre ā Tupe mā ika inapō : Tupe and the rest didn't get any fish last night
    Tāku; Tāʻau; Tāna; Tā tāua; Tā māua…. : my, mine; your, yours; his, her, hers, our ours…
    Ko tāku vaʻine tēia : This is my wife;
    Ko tāna tāne tērā : That's her husband;
    Tā kotou ʻapinga : your possession(s);
    Tā Tare ʻapinga : Tērā possession(s);
* o is used in speaking of
** Parts of anything
** Feelings
** Buildings and transport (including horses)
** Clothes
** Parents or other relatives (not husband, wife, children...)
** Superiors
    Te ʻare o Tere : The house belonging to Tere;
    ō Tere pare : Tere's hat;
    Kāre ō Tina noʻo anga e noʻo ei : Tina hasn't got anywhere to sit;
    Tōku; Tōʻou; Tōna; Tō tāua; Tō māua…: my, mine ; your, yours; his, her, hers; our, ours …
    Ko tōku ʻare tēia : This is my house;
    I tōku manako, ka tika tāna : In my opinion, he'll be right;
    Tēia tōku, tērā tōʻou : This is mine here, that's yours over there

## Vocabulary

* Pia : Polynesian arrowroot
* Kata : laugh at; laughter;
** kata ʻāviri : ridicule, jeer, mock
* Tanu : to plant, cultivate land
* ʻangaʻanga : work, job
* Pōpongi : morning
* Tātāpaka : a kind of breadfruit pudding
* ʻura : dance, to dance
* Tuātau : time, period, season;
** ē tuātau ʻua atu : forever
* ʻīmene : to sing, song
* Riri : be angry with (ki)
* Tārekareka : entertain, amuse, match, game, play game

## Dialectology

Although most words of the various dialects of Cook Islands Māori are identical, there are some differences:
| Rarotonga | Aitutaki | Mangaia | Ngāputoru | Manihiki | Tongareva | English |
| tuatua | ʻautara | taratara | araara | vananga | akaiti | speak, speech |
| ʻānau | | ʻānau | ʻānau | fanau | hanau | family |
| kūmara | kūʻara | kūʻara | kūmara | kūmara | kumala | sweet potatoes |
| kāre | kāʻore, ʻāʻore | eʻi, ʻāore | ʻāita, kāre | kaua, kāre | kore | no, not |
| tātā | kiriti | tātā | tātā | tātā | tata | write |
| ʻura | koni | ʻura | ʻingo, oriori, ʻura | hupahupa | kosaki | dance |
| ʻakaipoipo | ʻakaipoipo | ʻāʻāipoipo | ʻakaipoipo | fakaipoipo | selenga | wedding |
| ʻīkoke | koroio | rakiki | tūngāngā | hikoke | mokisi | thin |
| ʻare | ʻare | ʻare | ʻare | fare | hare | house |
| maʻata | ʻatupaka | ngao | nui, nunui, ranuinui | kore reka | polia | big |
| matū, pete | ngenengene | pori | poripori | menemene | suesue | fat |

## Demographics

| Place | Cook Islands Māori-speaking population |
| Cook Islands | 13,620 |
| New Zealand | 7,725 |
| New South Wales | 1,612 |
| Queensland | 1,609 |
| Victoria | 1,468 |
| Western Australia | 308 |
| South Australia | 63 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 28 |
| Northern Territory | 21 |
| Tasmania | 10 |