
The Maori (written as Māori) are the indigenous Polynesian population of New Zealand. The Maori population settled in New Zealand from eastern Polynesia in the previously uninhabited islands of New Zealand in the 14th century. The word Maori, alongside the word te reo, meaning "the language" are used to indicate the language spoken by the Maori people.
The word Maori means "ordinary" or "normal" in Maori language, which was used to indicate the difference between humans and deities or spirits.
The correct pronunciation of Maori is Mah-aw-ree. The "a" is pronounced with an open and elongated "ah" sound, which is immediately followed by the "o" that produces a closed sound. For reference, the "o" is pronounced similarly to the "a" in the word "awkward". The final "ri", instead, is pronounced with a -ree sound.