Glossary

Glossary

This glossary has been divided into technical language, to explain some of the technical functions behind the website, and Maori language, to translate some of the untranslated Maori words used in the website. Many of these words are commonly used in everyday language, and often have no exact English translation, but rather have several meanings or interpretations.

Maori

Below is a list of Maori words commonly used without English translations in the stories in this website. For more Maori translations, go to www.maoridictionary.co.nz.

haka
to dance, perform; dance of challenge and welcome; chant accompanying a dance with actions

hāngī
earth oven to cook food with steam and heat from heated stones

hapū
clan, tribe, subtribe - section of a large tribe; descent group; literally: to have conceived

hui
to gather, congregate, assemble, meet; meeting, assembly, coming together

iwi
set of people bound together by descent from a common ancestor or ancestors; tribe, nation, people

kaumātua
adult, elder, senior man or woman, community leader

marae
the open courtyard area in front of the wharenui, where formal greetings and discussions take place; also used to include the complex of buildings around the marae.; forum of social life

pā
fortified refuge or settlement; stockade

Pākehā
non-Māori, New Zealander, usually of European ethnic origin or descent

rūnanga
council, tribal council, assembly, tribal or public assembly; to discuss in an assembly

tangata
human being, person, men

tangata whenua
local people, hosts, indigenous people of the land - people born of the whenua, i.e. of the placenta and of the land where the people's ancestors have lived; people belonging to a tribal region

taniwha
water spirit, legendary monster, chief, guardian

tapu
be sacred, prohibited, restricted, set apart, forbidden, under religious restriction

utu
revenge, cost, price, wage, fee, payment; to repay, make a response; retribution in battle

waiata
to sing; song, chant, poetry, psalm

whakapapa
genealogy, genealogical table, lineage, descent; literally: to place in layers

whānau
extended family, family group, a familiar term of address to a number of people

whare
house, dwelling, building, residence

Technical

Internet - The internet is a worldwide network of computers, connected by telephone line and satellite connections. You can use the Internet to access websites and send and receive email. Websites are usually made up of a number of linked files (or pages) which can be viewed by other computers around the world. Websites can also link to one another, and the term ‘World Wide Web’, or www, is used to refer to the whole worldwide network of websites.

URL - Every website has a URL (Universal Resource Locator) which is their unique place, or address, on the internet. A URL begins with http:// and tells your browser where to find the website you are looking for. The URL can always be seen at the top of the browser page, so the URL for this page is www.http://thisistheplace.org.nz/help/glossary. The URL for the homepage is of this website is www.thisistheplace.org.nz.

Browser – A web browser is the programme you use to view websites. Some common examples are Firefox, Netscape, and Internet Explorer. The browser reads the website files and displays them on your computer. Like other computer programmes, browsers have lots of useful functions to explore once you become familiar with them, such as ‘Bookmarks’ and ‘Favourites’ to help your computer remember websites that you may visit often. It’s a good idea to allow some time to test and explore the functions of the browser to make it more useful for you

The best browser to view our website is Firefox. You can download Firefox onto your computer for free by clicking this link: www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox and then click on the 'free download' button.

ISP – An ISP, or Internet Service Provider, is a company which supports people to link to the internet, and provides access to the internet. Some examples of ISPs in New Zealand are xtra, ihug and slingshot.

Hyperlinks or links – Most websites contain links or hyperlinks. For text links, they are usually identified by underlined text or text in a different colour. For images, when you move the cursor over them, you will notice the cursor changing into a pointing finger. This means the image can be clicked on, to take you to further information. In This is the Place : Ko Tenei Te Wahi, there are lots of links, including all the images, and words, such as the author of a story.

Search engines – Search engines are websites designed to help people search other websites. Some examples are Google, Yahoo, and Search NZ. These search engines help you search for websites about a particular subject, by typing in a word or series of words to begin your search. The search engine then searches the internet for websites containing the words of your search, and then lists the results. The more specific you can be, the more focused your search will be. For example, if you type in ‘Northland accommodation’, you will probably find there are thousands of websites containing those words.  However, if you type in ‘Ahipara bed and breakfast’ you will receive search results more focused on bed and breakfast accommodation in Ahipara.

Search – Some websites, such as This is the Place : Ko Tenei Te Wahi have a search function that relates just to the content on that website. In this website, you can type any word/s in the search box, click on ‘search’ and receive results of all the stories that contain your search words. There is also an advanced search if you are searching for more specific information, for example, a particular author, or stories from a particular time

Email – Email (or electronic mail) is a way of sending messages from one computer to another. Emails can be sent to one other computer (and the person at the other end!) or to many computers. Files, such as photo images, can also be attached to emails and sent also – these are called attachments.

You can create an email account (you need this to use email) with either an ISP (Internet Service Provider) or through one of the free email services offered on the Internet. Some examples are Hotmail and gmail. If you have a free email account, you always need to access it through a website, which means you can access it from anywhere in the world.

Newsgroups and Chat Rooms – These began as a way for website administrators to exchange news or ideas about a particular topic. They now exist for all website users, and it seems there is now a discussion group for most topics. Some websites have a discussion forum within their website, called a Blog or message board, while others are general forums hosted by interested individuals. Content and messages are generally displayed instantly onto the newsgroups website, so others can comment further or respond. Some comments go through a moderator first. Before entering a discussion, it is useful to look through the previous entries of the website, to gauge the nature of the conversation, and the ideas of other participants.

Uploading and Downloading – These terms refer to the copying of files off the internet onto a personal computer (downloading) and copying files or adding information to the internet (uploading). When you add a story to This is the Place : Ko Tenei Te Wahi, you are uploading your story to the website (copying files or adding information to the internet).

To upload an image or audio file, you will need to browse your computer files until you find the file you would like to add to the website, and then select it and opt to 'upload'.