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Ka mate kāinga tahi ka ora kāinga rua.
When one home fails, have another to go to. Have two strings to your bow.
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E mua kaikai, e muri kai huare.
Early arrivals have the pick, but late comers may only get spittal
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Toitū he kāinga, whatu ngarongaro he tangata.
While the land remains the inhabitants are gone.
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He kōtuku rerenga tahi.
The white heron that makes one flight only (Said of a chief).
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Waiho ma te tangata e mihi, kia tau ai.
It would be better to let others praise.
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Ka pū te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi.
The old net is cast aside, while the new net goes a-catching.
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He iti hoki te mokoroa nāna i kakati te kahikatea.
The mokoroa (grub) may be small, but it cuts through the Kahikatea (whitepine).
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Ngaro atu he tētēkura, whakaeke mai he tētēkura.
When one chief disappears another is ready to appear. No one is indispensable.
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Moe ana te mata hī tuna, ara ana te kitaua.
Eel catchers may sleep but sentries do not.
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Mauri mahi, mauri ora; mauri noho, mauri mate.
Industry begets prosperity (security); idleness begets poverty (insecurity).
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He urunga tangata he urunga pāhekeheke, he urunga oneone, mau tonu.
To rest on human support is unreliable, to rest on terra-firma is sure.
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He wāhine, he whenua, ka ngaro te tangata.
For a woman and land, men perish.
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Tama tu, tama ora; tama noho, tama mate kai.
He who stands lives; he who sits, perishes.
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He aha te kai ō te rangatira? He Kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero.
What is the food of the leader. It is knowledge. It is communication.
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Kia mate ururoa, kei mate wheke.
Fight like a shark, don’t give in like an octopus.
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Ahakoa iti, he pounamu.
Although it is small, it is of green stone.
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E kore te pātiki e hoki ki tōna puehu.
The flounder does not go back to the mud it has stirred.
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Toku toa, he toa rangatira
My bravery is inherited from the chief who were my forebears
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He au kei uta e taea te karo, he au kei te moana e kore e taea.
You may dodge smoke (au) on land, but you cannot dodge current at sea.
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He maroro kokati ihu waka.
The flying-fish that cuts across the bow of the canoe. – Considered a bad omen.
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Hōhonu kaki, pāpaku nana.
Deep at eating but shallow at work.
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He ihu kurī, he tangata haere.
As a dog follows a scent, a wayfarer looks for an open door.
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Waikato taniwha rau: he piko, he taniwha, he piko he taniwha
Waikato of a hundred taniwha every bend there is a taniwha.
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He manako te koura i kore ai.
Crayfish are scarce when they are expected. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
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