English and te reo Maori, the Maori language, share joint status as New Zealand's official languages, but on a day-to-day basis all you'll need is English, or its colourful Kiwi variant. All Maori speak English fluently, often slipping in numerous Maori terms which in time become part of everyday Kiwi parlance. You may find television, radio and newspaper articles - especially those relating to Maori affairs - initially confusing without a basic grounding, but with the aid of our glossary you'll soon find yourself using Maori terms all the time. A basic knowledge of Maori pronunciation will make you more comprehensible and some understanding of the roots of place names can be helpful. You'll need to become something of an expert, though, to appreciate much of the wonderful oral history, and stories told through waiata (songs), but learning a few key terms will enhance any Maori cultural events you may attend.

To many Brits and North Americans, Kiwi English is barely distinguishable from its trans-Tasman cousin, "Strine", sharing much of the same lexicon of slang terms, but with an accent marginally closer in tone to South African English. Australians have no trouble distinguishing the two accents, repeatedly highlighting the vowel shift which turns "bat" into "bet", makes "yes" sound like "yis" and causes "fish" come out as "fush". This vowel contortion is carried to new levels in remoter country areas, but there is really very little regional variation, only Otago and Southland - the southern quarter of the South Island - distinguishing themselves with a rolled "r", courtesy of their predominantly Scottish founders. Throughout the land, Kiwis add an upward inflection to statements, making them sound like questions; most are not, and to highlight those that are, some add the interrogative "eh?" to the end of the sentence, a trait most evident in the North Island, especially among Maori.