Tēnā koutou - hello everyone.

How are you going in your Te Reo journey?  It’s great to hear people giving Te Reo Māori a go with me.

I hope you enjoyed last week’s story about Kōpuwai. 

I was asked how people could begin to use Te Reo in their business, so I thought I would tell you some of the ways I use Te Reo in a business context. I hope you get some ideas that you can use.

Mihi atu, mihi mai - Meet and greet

As with English, and indeed most languages, when you are meeting someone, or answering the phone there is a distinction between a formal greeting and more relaxed greetings.

When answering the phone, how do you want to sound?

Tēnā koe is a more formal greeting, as opposed to the less formal Kia ora.

Writing emails and letters

If you want to be fairly formal, you might begin your email with the greeting: Tēnā koe (person’s name). It’s a bit like writing Dear … at the beginning of your email.

If your email is to two people, you should use Tēnā kōrua, as explained in our previous Kōrero on greetings.

A more informal email might open with Kia ora. This can refer to any number of people, so there’s no change needed if you’re writing to one person or a group of people.

If you’re writing a very formal email or letter, one that you might open in English with Dear Sir/Madam, you could use: E te rangatira, tēnā koe. Rangatira literally means chief, and can refer to either a man or a woman.

As in English, there are many different ways to sign off your letters and emails using Te Reo.

Want to be formal?

Nāku, nā     Yours faithfully

Nāku noa, nā     Yours sincerely

If you began your email with the more informal Kia ora, you might want to end with:

Hei konā mai    Goodbye for now, or

Hei konā mai me te aroha    With love, or

Kia rongo kōrero anō au i a koe    Until I hear from you again.

If you want your sign off to convey a feeling of gratitude, you can use an expression such as:

Nāku i runga i aku mihi ki a koe    Yours with thanks.

If you want to explore te reo for your business in more depth, the Māori Language Commission Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori  has published a useful book entitled Māori for the Office, Te Reo Māori mō te Tari.

Kia pai te rā. Have a great day.

Check out te wiki o te reo Māori here