He Mihi
E tipu, e rea,
Mō ngā ra o tōu ao;
Ko tō ringa ki ngā rākau a te Pāhekā
Hei ara mō tō tinana,
Ko tō ngākau ki ngā taonga a ā tīpuna Māori
Hei tikitiki mō tō māhuna,
Ā, ko tō wairua ki tō Atua,
Nāna nei ngā mea katoa.
Tēnā koutou katoa,
Kai te mihi atu; kai te tangi atu ki ngā mate kua mene atu ki te pō. Rātau ngā manu tioriori o ngā pari kārangaranga me ngā kākā wahanui o te wao nui a Tāne. E au tonu te hoki o ngā mahara ki a Tā Apirana Ngata rāua ko tana mokopuna a Hōri Mahue. Nā Hōri tēnei pukapuka taki kupu i tīmata ake i runga i te wawata kia mahue he taonga hai āwhina i ngā tauira o tēnei reo rangatira. Nō reira, ko rātau ki a ratau, tātau te hunga ora, tēnā anō tātau katoa.
This dictionary is the culmination of more than three decades of work begun by Hori Mahue Ngata. Its purpose is to give students access to the richness of the Māori language, which is the key to understanding the richness of the culture. As such, this dictionary represents a valuable aid in understanding Māori as a dynamic language.
The Ministry of Education has felt privileged to participate in the development of this significant work. This dictionary will assist students of the language and others interested in it to gain a fuller understanding of this taonga, te reo Māori.
Nō reira, e mihi atu ana ki a koutou nāna i awhi, i tautoko te putanga o tēnei māpihi pounamu.
Ko te pae tawhiti, whāia kia tata Ko te pae tata, whakamaua kia tina.
Nāku noa, nā
Dr Maris O’Rourke
Secretary for Education (1993)