Kia ora
New Zealanders have a particularly irreverent sense of humor. When people take themselves too seriously, Kiwis love nothing more than “taking the Mickey”—making fun of someone, in a (usually) gentle way.
Kiwis are also the first to make fun of themselves, and they love making up words to make the language just that tiny bit more accurate … and funny. Here are a few examples:
As: intensifies an adjective —“sweet as,” “dumb as”
Munted: describes something that’s totally messed up—Christchurch after the earthquakes.
Root: to have sex (not the underground part of a tree)
One more thing about New Zealanders—they probably mean the exact opposite of what they’re saying. If they call you a “winner,” it means you’re a total loser. If they say you’re “quite nice,” don’t get all warm and cozy feeling. It means you’re a lot less than nice!
E noho rā
