Preface
The H.M. Ngata English–Māori Dictionary is the result of a long and patient journey, embarked on by Hōri M. Ngata, the eldest grandson of Sir Apirana Ngata. Hōri Ngata focused his energies on the richness of te reo Māori, as his grandfather had done before him.
Hōri M. Ngata was a kaumātua of Ngāti Porou, with tribal connections to Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Rongomaiwahine, and Te Aitanga a Māhaki. He spent his childhood on the family farm at Waiomatatini. He attended secondary school at Te Aute College, after which he farmed briefly before serving overseas with the 28th (Māori) Battalion during World War Two. On his return, Hōri Ngata took up farming again for a short time, and held several positions before joining the Department of Education in 1958 as an accountant. Hōri Ngata was a licensed interpreter of Māori. For nine years, he was also a lecturer in Māori at the University of Auckland. When the study of Māori language was extended to stage three level, he included the translation of deeds in the course. Because of the lack of suitable resources for his students, Hōri prepared his own manuscript dictionary of legal terms, extending this, over time, to include other material. He worked on the dictionary in his free time, during lunch hours, and on Sundays.
Hōri Ngata identified the need for a dictionary that illustrated the usage of Māori rather than simply supplying definitions or equivalents in English and Māori. He employed a system of headwords in English and Māori with sentences to illustrate usage. He selected his material from a wide variety of sources, including Acts of Parliament, deeds from the Māori Land Court, translated records of Māori school files, and quotations from the three volumes of Nga Moteatea, from the Māori Bible, from other texts, and from noted Māori orators, as well as examples from everyday usage. Hōri also had access to material written in both English and Māori by his grandfather.
In 1979, Hōri Ngata retired back to the rural settlement of Ruatōria where he continued working on the manuscript with friends and family, who contributed ideas and knowledge to the project. He drew on the resources of the local community and was assisted by his wife Mihihara, whose deep knowledge of Māori language and customs has informed this work.
In 1980, Hōne Apanui, then editor of Māori publications in the School Publications Branch of the Department of Education, approached Hōri Ngata to see if it would be possible for the Department to prepare his work for publication. Hōri agreed, and in October 1981, Rōki Kaua, from Ruatōria, began to type out the handwritten manuscripts .
At this point, the complexity of the task, and the time-consuming preparation that it involved, made it necessary to form an editorial committee, which Hōri named the Komiti Ārohi. This consisted of a co-ordinator, two bilingual consultants, a lexicographer of New Zealand English, and a data-entry operator. The meetings which the komiti held in Ruatōria, Hicks Bay, and Auckland often included kaumātua, who contributed as they sat in on some of the sessions.
In February 1989, Hōri Ngata passed away suddenly, leaving his work unfinished. His son, Whai Ngata, agreed to complete the work. Whai, who works as a broadcaster, grew up immersed in the speech and traditions of Māoridom, and had had a long association with the dictionary. He brought to the task his father's fervent wish to see the work completed.
Many people have brought their experience and expertise to the task. Among them, in the early stages, were Nepia Mahuika and the late Wiremu Parker. Roka Paora of Te Whānau a Apanui brought a deep knowledge of Māori usage and perspectives, and Jossie Kaa of Ngāti Porou performed an invaluable editorial and co-ordinating role in the major task of bringing this work to publication, supported by the project team at Learning Media. Others who contributed support and expertise were Harry Orsman, Michael Keith, Wiremu Kaa, and Professor Patu Hohepa. Many organisations also played a part, including the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the New Zealand Geographic Board, and the Justice Department.
A dictionary reflects the dynamic and constantly changing nature of language itself. It is envisaged that further editions of this dictionary will respond to the changing nature of Māori and English by refining existing entries and adding new material.
Hōri Ngata was convinced that the most valuable element of Māori culture is the language. The Ministry of Education Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga has demonstrated its commitment to te reo Māori through its continuing support of the work. Learning Media Te Pou Taki Kōrero has been privileged to participate in the development and presentation of a document which will have a significant role in fostering this taonga, te reo Māori. In the words of Sir Apirana Ngata:
Ka waiho iho e au ki a koutou te moemoeā, he mea piripoho ki a au me ōku hoa tokomaha i roto i ngā tau, ko ngā tikanga whai hua o tā tātau Māoritanga, ko ngā taonga nō konei ake nei nō tēnei whenua kura, kia whakatapua hai koha ki Aotearoa.
I leave you to dream the dream that my many friends and I have treasured through the years, that the potent elements of our culture, those things which belong to this beautiful land, should be preserved as a heritage for New Zealand.