Our Parent in the spirit world
Sacred is your Name
Bring us Your Chiefly rule;

May it happen in the way that is to You, good;
may it happen on earth
in the same way as in spirit world.

May we be whole, away from things evil;

Through your chiefly position, is
the power
and the glory.

Forever and ever
Amen

1. Matua

Matua in Maori is a much bigger word than Father. It means parent - female as well as a male, suggesting the caring, loving, disciplining, helping, protecting aspect of God.

2. Tapu

Many Maori, and also Pakeha, non-Maori of generally European descent, regard tapu as meaning forbidden. But is also descriptive of reverence, respect, honour.

3. Ingoa

Ingoa, meaning name, is very important to many people of all races, and here it reflects the special and important character of God.

4. Rangatira-tanga

Rangatiratanga - the chiefly rule of a rangatira. To many Maori, rangatira means the chief, the boss, the big one. But in Maori society rangatira implies responsible leadership, guidance, education and nurture of the people. Rangatiratanga suggests a God who cares and protects, and to whom consequently there is loyalty as part of a relationship.

5. Kia meatia ...

The phrase Kia meatia is idiomatic, often used instead of other specific descriptive phrases. Meatia is the passive form of the verb mea, do, or deal with. So Kia meatia means May it be done, May it be dealt with.

6. Taro

Taro is widely used in tropical Polynesia as an equivalent to bread, and here describes food that is useful to the Maori in many situations. It is the food of life, a metaphor for everything needed for human life.

7. Murua

Muru, the active voice of the murua, recalls an ancient Maori practice whereby upon a person's death his or her contemporaries would descend upon the deceased's house and strip it of everything it contained. In effect the Maori prayer says Come muru us; seize us and take away everything bad; our sins, all that has gone wrong; all that will stop us being with you, God.

8. Hunga

Hunga are those without status - commoners, vassels, slaves. In older Polynesian usage, this word had connotations of an insignificant particle of anything; a crumb; fine rain drops, discarded flax threads.

9. Whaka-waia.

Whakawhia is tempation or enticement. This is an 1830s Maori version of the old English prayer-line Lead us not into temptation which has always created problems and arguments among Biblical scholars. The scholars now give us Save us from the time of trial.

10. Whaka-ora-ngia

The English prayer-line Deliver us from evil has been expanded in the Maori. Whaka-ora-ngia includes the word ora, life, health, wellbeing, happiness, and it suggests peace, salvation and wholeness.