Te Reo Kapekape: Māori Wit and Humour | Hona Black

Following on from the successful He Iti te Kupu: Māori Metaphors and Similes, Hona Black’s new book explores the rich vein of humour in Māori life. Want to know how to call a silly person a ‘roro hipi / sheep’s brain’, or tell someone to get stuffed in te reo Māori? 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 is a valuable resource for anyone wanting to spice up their te reo or English with some fun and cheeky sayings, and will appeal to both language learners and fluent speakers of Māori.

Hona Black (Tuhoe, Te Whanau a Apanui, Ngati Tuwharetoa) lectures on teaching for Maori medium schools at Te Putahi a Toi: School of Maori Knowledge at Massey University, Palmerston North. He has worked as the Senior Maori Adviser on Massey's Wellington campus, and been Head of Te Reo Maori at Hato Paora College in Feilding. Hona lives in Porirua with his partner and their baby son.