When I first moved to New Zealand, I thought it was going to be so much easier than moving to Spain.
As far as I was concerned, NOWHERE ON THE ENTIRE PLANET could have more red tape or be more difficult than Spain. And for the most part, I was right. New Zealand is not exactly a challenging destination, by any means.
First off, they speak English in New Zealand. Hey, I speak English too! How hard could it be?
Sigh. Really, I should know better by now, right?
It all started the first day I did laundry in my new house in Wellington. Or should I say my new “flat” since I am now in the Queen’s territory.
Pulling my clothes out of the washer, I asked my new “flatties,” “flatmates” aka roommates where I could hang them up to dry.
“Downstairs outside there’s a clothesline in the back of the house,” they told me, “and they’re pigs on the ground.”
Blinking, surely I heard them wrong. “Pigs? What do you mean ‘pigs’? Why are there pigs outside?” I asked.
Looking at me like I was insane, “PIGS! You know PIGS that you hang your clothes with. PIGS!” They all said in unison pinching their fingers together in motion.
“Oh my god, you mean PEGS.”
This was just the beginning of what would become a slippery slope downhill of me trying and failing to understand the New Zealand accent, slang and/or vernacular.
In general, I’d like to think I’m pretty apt at understanding other accents and languages. I’ve studied many languages and worked teaching and tutoring English. But sometimes, like with the case of the mysterious pigs in Kelburn Wellington, all understanding completely eludes me.
However, after much pushing and prodding, I finally say down and watched the epic New Zealand classic movie Boy, the other night, when I realized I only understood 2/3rds of what they were saying.
The only complicated thing about the New Zealand accent is the vowels, which I guess is a pretty big complication. They like to swallow the ends of words here, similar to southern Spain, and then of course there is the Great New Zealand Vowel Shift and somehow “e”s have become “i”s.
Ben is pronounced “bin,” “head” becomes “hid,” while “really” and “rarely” sound exactly the same. Talk about confusing.
When I first stepped off the proverbial boat in Auckland, it didn’t take long for me to start to pick up on different structuring and common phrases used throughout New Zealand. Many of them I was aware of as a native English speaker, and while they may not be common or the go-to phrase in America, I understood perfectly what was meant.
For example Kiwis love to say the word “heaps.”
“I’ve got heaps of work to do before I can go home.” “There are heaps of sheep in New Zealand.” “I missed you heaps.” You get the idea.
A little more advanced is “keen.”
“Are you keen to go to the cinema?” I’d hear from friends. “Sure, I feel like going to the movies,” I’d reply, stubborn in my effort to maintain my Americaness (someone has to).
But one of my favorite Kiwi-isms, as I like to call them, is New Zealand’s fondness for the word “ay .”
What, are we in Canada?
Here, they like to just stick it on the end of a sentence here or there, giving it a little life or flavor. Almost like a little question but not quite, opening the dialogue up for a confirmation or reply.
“That’s a really nice hat, ay.” “Wow, that southerly is blowing in strong, ay.”
The other day I caught myself saying “ay” at the end of the sentence. Crap, I’m going native.
Anywho, after months of making mental notes and attempting to compile a list of new kiwi vocabulary in my “hid” — read: head, here are my 20 favorite and most heard New Zealand words and phrases. Enjoy.
1. Sweet as
Quite possibly the most famous of kiwi expressions, “sweet as” means good, ok, cool. Whatever. An expression of affirmation, more or less, usually followed up with “bro.”
Sometimes living in New Zealand I feel like I’m transported to a California surfer town in the 90’s.
Though I absolutely refuse to say “sweet as” because it is grammatically incorrect and makes me want to punch a baby. Sweet as… what? Finish the damn sentence! Sweet as pie? Sweet as candy?
Oh and it doesn’t end there. You can pretty much get away with sticking an “as” at the end of any adjective here in New Zealand. Mean as. Cheap as. Or my personal favorite, beached as – see video below.
2. Kia ora
Kia ora is a Maori greeting that’s common in New Zealand nowadays. Literally meaning “be well,” it’s pretty much synonymous with hello. Though, I still feel like I can’t get away with saying it, no matter how hard I try.
3. Wop-wops
Ha, I nearly died when I heard this one the first time. The wop-wops mean the middle of nowhere. The boonies. Out in the sticks. Try saying that with a straight face.
I feel like I should add that New Zealand gives a whole new meaning to the wop-wops; I am of course referring to the fact that there are no people in New Zealand, well there are 4.4 million people, which is roughly the size of Boston or an apartment building in Shanghai.
I used to think the small town I grew up in Virginia was in the boonies. But noooooo. I mean I came across towns in the South Island, population 5, towns that if you blinked while driving through, you’d miss them.
So maybe wop-wops is more acceptable here.
4. Dairy
Kiwi word for the convenience store, i.e. the 24 hour shop on the corner where you can get your milk, eggs, or if you’re me, your midnight craving for a chocolate bar.
5. Chilly bin
Care to hanker a guess?
The chilly bin is a cooler in New Zealand, perfect for your barbies (BBQ’s) on the beach packed with ice cold beer. Favorite.
6. Chocolate fish
A New Zealand staple, the chocolate fish is basically a pink or white marshmallow shaped fish covered in chocolate with ripple-like scales on them.
It’s a pretty common word used for rewarding a kid or someone for doing a good job. And I can vouch they are delicious. Oh, and since it’s New Zealand, we say “fush.”
There is also an amazing cafe in Wellington called the Chocolate Fish Cafe right on the beach in Scorching Bay, which was popular with the Lord of the Rings cast when they lived in Wellington, though now the name’s changed and it’s called Scorch-o-Rama.
7. Book a bach
Bach (pronounced batch) is the kiwi word for holiday home, and pretty much the only affordable way to travel in New Zealand given the absurd costs of hotels, hostels and even some campsites here. Split one with a group of friends and it becomes cheap, and it’s actually a great local way to experience New Zealand.
8. Jandals, togs, and stubbies
Luckily I knew what jandals were before I arrived in New Zealand because my friend Cole’s blog is called Four Jandals. Prepared. Boom. Oh, jandals are flip-flops BTW.
Togs was more complicated. It took me a while to realize that togs mean swimsuit.
And stubbies, which I think I could have lived without NOT knowing or seeing. Short shorts for men in the 70’s, you still see them around town and they are shocking to behold, at least for Americans. We grow up with an appropriate short level in mind for men, which is often put to the test overseas where dudes like to bare more leg than what we yanks are accustomed to seeing.
Even though I don’t see too many short shorts out and about on the street, that does not include going to the gym or the beach where they are still quite popular. Shudder.
9. Chur bro
Another popular kiwi expression, “chur,” which as I’ve taken to understand it means cheers or thanks. Again, commonly followed up with the obligatory “bro.”
First really started hearing this from my tour guide with Haka Tours in the South Island.
10. Yeah nah
Yeah nah yeah nah, which is it GODDAMNIT?!
However, points must be awarded to the Kiwis for inventing a phrase that means both yes and no at the same time. Good on ya, mate! (another common phrase here which I *think* means well done amigo but I could be wrong).
11. Tramping
In New Zealand tramping means hiking; it does NOT mean engaging in drunken, slutty illicit behavior as one (ME) might initially be led to believe. You’re welcome for the clarification.
12. Kumara, capsicum, and feijoa
All food words completely stumped me when I first arrived. Nevermind the fact that New Zealand uses many a British word for food like rocket (arugula), chips (fries) and aubergine (eggplant) PLUS having their own words for things. Mildly confusing, especially at restaurants when I had to ask what something was, and I got a look that says are you stupid, you speak English. Ugh.
Kumara means sweet potatoes or yams AND they have purple ones here OMG! I’ve only ever seen orange sweet potatoes before coming to New Zealand. Tangent.
Capsicum means bell peppers while feijoa is a New Zealand fruit that is about the size of a tomato and has a tangy flavor – and feijoa takes amazing in juices and smoothies here, give it a try!
13. Skux
As I am led to believe, skux is an ironic word for a player in New Zealand. As you might have guessed, I have not been able to pull this off in casual conversation so far in Wellington. However, there is still time and I am optimistic.
Challenge accepted.
14. A mare
A mare is short for a nightmare, like “I was on the piss and got into some trouble; I had a bloody mare last night.” You know, because I can pull off saying something like that.
So basically having a bad time or if you end up in a crazy situation.
15. L&P
A New Zealand classic, L&P is a sweet soft drink meaning Lemon & Paeroa, Paeroa being the place where it was manufactured. It only took a day to grow on me, but it tastes like watered down fizzy lemonade, in a good way.
Just trust me on this.
16. Op shops
Thank you Macklemore for clearing this one up, i.e. the New Zealand word for “thriftshop,” extremely popular in Wellington with its thriving hipster culture and love for vintage and record shops .
17. Waikikamukau
Doesn’t really mean anything just means some random-ass town in New Zealand that’s pronounced “Why kick a moo cow” which makes me laugh ALL THE TIME.
Sorry, had to share.
18. Pack a sad
Pack a sad means throw a tantrum or become moody in New Zealand. Who knew I’d be so good at this one?
19. Pavlova
I had pavlova forced on me not long after moving to Wellington, and while I tried to like it, it is far too sweet to take more than a few bites. Basically it’s a meringue cake thing with cream and fruit on it.
However, what is vastly more entertaining is that Kiwis and Aussies fight to the death over the invention and ownership of pavlova. Just bring it up next time you’re around one or the other and see what happens.
20. Spin a yarn
“You’re spinning yarns mate” means you’re lying or exaggerating, or telling a long story.
I will take this opportunity to exert some self control and NOT make a sheep joke.
21. Bum bag
Bum bag means fanny pack.
22. Tu Meke
Tu meke is a Maori word that means “too much.” Nowadays it’s popular among youths as a response to something impressive or awesome.
23. Dave
Again, as I am given to understand Dave is used as one word reply usually to someone being a dick.
24. Gumboots
Gumboots are rubber rain boots or wellies. First time I saw this was out in the country at a convenience store where there was a sign that said “please leave your muddy gumboots outside.” Good thing there was an illustration.
25. She’ll be right
Things will be fine. Right as rain.
Ok spill. What are some strange words you’ve encountered abroad? Have you been to another country where your native language is spoken – what words did they use differently? Any kiwi lingo I missed? Oh, are you from New Zealand – and if so, who invented pavlova?
**FYI the title Me Talk Kiwi One Day is a play on David Sedaris’ famous book Me Talk Pretty One Day
About the author
Just FYI, the reason we say ‘yeah nah’ is so that you know we have considered & understand what you are saying (thats the ‘yeah’) and we disagree or wont do it (thats the ‘nah’). So if you say ‘hey can one of you go down the road for some milk we would say Yeah Nah, because we know what you want us to do, but we aint gonna do it. Sweet as.
I have absolutely no idea what that means 😀
this was hilarious blog. Well done! The “yeah nah” thing can be rather confusing as it can be quite subtle as in:
person A “i want to go and buy something for lunch but i dont think i want sushi today”
person b “yeah, nah” meaning:
yes, I agree and also want to go and get lunch, and i agree with you that i also dont want sushi. i.e. yes to lunch, no to sushi.
the effect is that i am agreeing with BOTH of your sentiments; your positive and your negative one.
and I love that there is a phrase that expresses that, let’s see if I can actually use it right lol
Honestly, the key to ‘yeah, nah’ and ‘yeah, nah, yeah’ is to listen to the last word. Anything before is actually just a verbal pause and sometimes the whole thing is. Think about how people might say ‘hmm’ or ‘well’ before properly starting a sentence.
‘Yeah nah’ can mean yes OR no. How you figure out if it is yes or no is in the tone of the persons voice who is saying it.
For example if you go away on holiday and one of your mates asks you how it was, you might say something like: “Yeah nah bro it was awesome as eh!” This clearly means that you enjoyed it haha. (ie the yeah part of the ‘yeah nah’).
On the other hand say if you went to a music festival and you didn’t enjoy it for whatever reason, you may say something like: Yeah nah bro it kinda sucked eh. This form of yeah nah means that you didn’t enjoy it. (ie the nah part of the ‘yeah nah’).
“Though I absolutely refuse to say “sweet as” because it is grammatically incorrect and makes me want to punch a baby.” Hahaha!
I completely know what you mean, (aww poor baby). As a Kiwi that’s one saying I refuse to use, I really dislike it.
Can I make a couple of points? I suppose you’ll realise that there are are North Island and South Island vernacular for the same things.
That thing being ‘Bach’. Down here in Dunedin, and much of the south island we say ‘Crib’. To you that probably sounds like an inner city gang word but for us, it’s what blows a North islanders cover. We down south live in what is called “The Mainland” (we were here first and from here New Zealand established its wealth) and even though we are now far less an influence, that riles the North who don’t consider themselves secondary. The use of the word “Bach’ is creeping in down here but that’s only because North Islanders are moving down because they’re realising this is the most awesome island! There’s a fight started right there.
Great blog entry BTW. It’s nice to have the micky taken out of yourselves in good humour
take the micky, that’s a new one for me too!
I am moving to the South Island soon and I can’t wait to hear the differences! I love learning all of this, fascinating!
The origin of ‘taking the mickey’ is ‘taking the piss,’ which can mean making fun of someone or deliberately making an outrageous claim to see if you can trick people.
A medical term for urination is micturation. Somebody with a playful way with words, perhaps, decided to take the name ‘Mickey’ from ‘micturation.’ The alternative is that it’s a short form of the Cockney rhyming slang ‘Mickey Bliss’ for ‘piss’ (nobody seems to know who Mickey Bliss was).
There are also back-formations, ‘taking the Michael’ or ‘taking the Archangel’ (as in the Archangel Michael).
Bru I think you needa review your nz history if you think NZ started down south…
The only one I would be unsure of is ‘Dave’ – the ad referenced wasn’t using ‘Dave’ to call the drunk driver a dickhead, it was just highlighting a change in friendship status – he went from a mate to a known associate.
Us kiwis do say things like ‘stop being such a Dave’ – BUT that is in reference to someone within our group of friends. For example, one of my mates Chris has massive FOMO, so if someone else is letting their FOMO rage we will say ‘Stop being such a Chris’ or ‘Stop doing a Chris’ 🙂
interesting, I’m still confused haha
FOMO means ‘fear of missing out’ haha.
Awesome blog!
Number 7 leads to a whole other discussion on regional dialects as well. I am from Southland and a bach is called a crib down there. Also ask us about cheese rolls and Chelsea buns.
I’ve never heard of Dave being used as an insult. Is that in reference to the drink-driving ad when Dave kills his friend in a drink-driving accident (before the accident everyone called him mate then he wasn’t their mate anymore so they called him Dave?).
yeah it’s about that ad, from what I understand now teens sometimes say Dave when’s someone is being a dick, I think from that commercial but I have no idea, that’s just what I’ve heard up around here
I think that might be an in-joke for the group of teenagers you know rather than a widespread teenage thing.
As long as we’re talking phrases popularised by anti-drink-driving ads, we shouldn’t forget ‘Good afterble, consternoon,’ ‘ghost chups’ and ‘I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.’
When I was a teacher in the 2000s, ‘Shot!’ was praise or acclaim, with an element of thanks sometimes. ‘I’m not setting you any homework for tonight.’ ‘Shot, Miss!’ I think it boiled down from ‘Good shot!’ when cheering on a sports match.