Māori Grammar

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Talking about more than one person

rāua ko..., rātou ko... ko...

In English, we can use "and" to talk about more than one person: "Peter, Paul and Mary".

In te reo Māori, there is a specific way to do this.

When there are only two people, and we are talking about people other than ourselves, we use rāua ko:

Kei te haere a Rangi rāua ko Hemi ki te papa tākaro.
Rangi and Hemi are going to the playground.

Ko Brian rāua ko Fran ōku mātua.
Brian and Fran are my parents.

Where there are more than two people, and we are talking about poeple other than ourselves, we use rātou ko... ko...

Kei te waiata a Peter, rātou ko Paul ko Mary.
Peter, Paul and Mary are singing.

When you are speaking about yourself and someone else, we do not say "me". Intead, you would use māua ko if you are just talking about you and another person, and mātou ko... ko... if you are talking about you and two or more other people:

I taraiwa māua ko taku hoa.
Me and my friend drove.

Māua ko Amaru.
Amaru and me.

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

I haere mātou ko Rangi ko Hemi.
Me and Rangi and Hemi went.

Kei te oma a Mere rātou ko Hariata, ko Matiu, ko Ropata.
Mere, Hariata, Matiu and Ropata are running.

Kei te kanikani a Nikau rāua ko Pita.
Nikau and Pita are dancing.

Kei roto a Tame rāua ko Rangi i tō rāua whare.
Tame and Rangi are inside their (2x) house.

Arā, ko au te tama a Hone rāua ko Rāhera.
That is, I am the child of Hone and Rāhera.

I muri i te piringa o Rangi rāua ko Papa ka whānau mai ngā tamariki.
After the union of Rangi and Papa the children were born.

He mātua a Pani rāua ko Hata,.
Pani and Hata are parents.

Ko Hone rāua ko Rāhera ōku mātua
Hone and Rāhera are my parents.

Ākuanei ka haere māua ko Hera ki te tiki i a Mia.
Soon Hera and I will go to fetch Mia.

Ko Mere rāua ko Lennon āku tamariki.
Mere and Lennon are my children.

Ko Amaru te mokopuna a Taika rāua ko Ani.
Amaru is the grandchild of Taika and Ani.

I taraiwa māua ko taku hoa ki te whare wānanga.
Me and my friend drove to uni.

Kei te ako a Taika rāua ko Rangi i ngā kupu whānau i te reo Māori.
Taika and Rangi are learning Māori 'family' words.

Kei Pōneke māua ko Sarah.
Sarah and I are in Wellington.

Ko Aroha rāua ko Timi ana mātua.
Aroha and Timi are her parents.

Ko Hēmi rāua ko Mia ngā mokopuna o Nikau rāua ko Kauri.
Hēmi and Mia are the grandchildren of Nikau and Kauri.

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

Ehara a Rangi rāua ko Ataahua i te mātua.
Rangi and Ataahua are not parents.

Ko Moana rāua ko Rina ōku tuāhine.
Moana and Rina are my sisters.

Ko Brian rāua ko Fran ōku mātua
Brian and Fran are my parents

Kei te haere a Honi rāua ko Ari mā runga i te motukā.
Honi and Ari are travelling by car.

Nō muri noa mai ka whānau mai ngā tamariki a Manu rāua ko Aroha.
The children of Manu and Aroha were born much later.

Kei te haere a Riria rāua ko Larisa ki konā
Riria and Larisa are going there (by you the listener).

Ko Rāwiri rāua ko Tūmanako ōku taokete.
Rāwiri and Tūmanako are my twins.

Ko Aria te tamāhine a Pāora rāua ko Ani.
Aria is the daughter of Pāora and Ani.

Kei muri a Miriama rāua ko Rehutai i te pahi.
Miriama and Rehutai are behind the bus.

I taraiwa māua ko taku hoa ki te whare wānanga i te waru karaka.
Me and my friend drove to uni at 8 o'clock.

Kei te tangi a Mereana rāua ko Paul.
Mereana and Paul are crying.

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

Ko Rāwiri rāua ko Tūmanako aku tama.
Rāwiri and Tūmanako are my sons.

He hoa piritahi rāua ko Rāwiri.
He and Rāwiri are best friends.

Ko Rāwiri rātou ko Tūmanako, ko Rongomai, me tana tāne a Moana, aku mokopuna.
Rāwiri, Tūmanako, Rongomai, and Moana, her husband, are my grandchildren.

Ko Tīwana rāua ko Riripeti aku irāmutu.
Tīwana and Riripeti are my nieces/nephews.

I hiahia a Hēmi rāua ko Kauri ki te tūtaki i a rāua anō.
Hēmi and Kauri wanted to meet each other.

I haere mātou ko aku hoa mā runga i te waka o Betsy ki te takutai, ki Te Māhia.
Me and my friends went on Betsy's car to the beach, to Māhia.

Ko Billy rāua ko Bob ā rāua māhanga.
Their twins are Billy and Bob.

No Te Kaha mātou ko Hata mā.
Hata and I and the rest are from Te Kaha.

I hea a Miti rāua ko Auau?
Where were Miti and Auau?

Ka haere māua ko Manu ki te hokomaha tiki ai.
Manu and I are going to the supermarket to shop.

Nō mua i te piringa ki a Rangi, ka moe a Papa rāua ko Tangaroa.
Before the union with Rangi, Papa was in a relationship with Tangaroa.

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

Kei te haere a Pāora rāua ko Aria.
Pāora and Aria are going.

Kei te haere a Raureka rāua ko Te Naera.
Raureka and Te Naera are going.

Ko Tawa rāua ko Mia ngā hoa o Niko rāua ko Kauri.
Tawa and Mia are the friends of Niko and Kauri.

I hararei mātou ko aku hoa.
My friends and I had a holiday.

Ko Val te tamāhine a Una rāua ko Vic.
Val is the daughter of Una and Vic.

Ko Riripeti rāua ko Tīwana ā māua tamariki.
Riripeti and Tīwana are our children.

Ko Jacob rāua ko Hana āku tamariki.
Harnah and Jacob are my children

I te ata o te Rāhoroi ka haere mātou ko taku whānau ki Taranaki ki te whakatā.
On Saturday morning my family and I went to Taranaki for a holiday.

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

Ko ia te mea hangareka o rāua ko Riripeti, tōna tuahine.
She is the funny one between her and Riripeti, her sister.

Ko Kayte rāua ko Denis, ko Beverley
Kayte and Denis and Beverley

Ko Isaac te tama a Phill rāua ko Angie.
Isaac is the son of Phill and Angie.

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

Ko Liam te mokopuna a Beverley rāua ko Denis.
Liam is the grandchild of Beverley and Denis.

Nā wai a Papa rāua ko Rangi i whakawehe?
Who separated Papa and Rangi?

Ko Rāhera rāua ko Tipene ōna hoa.
Her friends are Rāhera and Tīpene.

Ko Tai rāua ko Moana ngā ingoa o ōku hoa.
The names of my friends are Tai and Moana.

I tērā tau i te marama o Mahuru ka haere mātou ko aku hoa mai i Papaioea ki Pōneke ki te tirotiro haere.
Last year in September me and my friends went from Palmerston North to Wellington to look around.

Ko Hone rāua ko Rāhera ōku mātua.
Hone and Rāhera are my parents.

Nō te wā o te piringa o Rangi rāua ko Papa ka tupu te werawera, ka rērere te kohu.
At the time of the union of Rangi and Papa, the heat grew, the mist rose.

Ko Barry rāua ko Lynne ōku mātua.
Barry and Lynne are my parents.

E tākaro ana a Niko rāua ko Aroha.
Niko and Aroha are playing.

Ko Flo rāua ko Rāwiri ōku kaumātua.
Flo and Rāwiri are my grandparents.

Ko Rāhera rāua ko Hone ōku tūpuna.
Rāhera and Hone are my ancestors.

Ko Tawa te tamaiti kei waenganui i a Ataahua rāua ko N3.
Tawa is the child between Ataahua and N3.

I hea a Retitia rāua ko Mihinui?
Where were Retitia and Mihinui?

Ko Koa rāua ko Nikau ō tāua hoa.
Koa and Nikau are our friends.

Ko Pita rāua ko Tame kei te haere ki te tāone.
Pita and Tame are going to town.

Ko Timi rāua ko Jen aku mātua.
Timi and Jen are my parents.

Ko Rāwiri rāua ko Tūmanako ōku tungāne.
Rāwiri and Tūmanako are my brothers.

Kei te katakata a Rangi rāua ko Hera.
Rangi and Hera are laughing.

Ko Sally rāua ko Tīmoti ōku mātua.
My parents are Sally and Timoti.

E hui ana a Rama rāua ko Pita ki te pātaka kōrero.
Rama and Pita are meeting in the library.

Ko Riripeti rāua ko Tīwana āku irāmutu.
Riripeti and Tīwana are my nieces/nephews.

Mia rāua ko tōna hoa.
Mia and her friend.

Ko Amaru rāua ko Taika.
Amaru and Taika.

Ko Pita rātou ko Paul, ko Mere.
Peter, Paul and Mere.

Tame rātou ko tōna whanau.
Tame and his family.

Ehara ngā rangatira i a Moki rāua ko Tū-te-kawa.
Moki and Tū-te-kawa were not the chiefs.

Kei te hui a Rama rāua ko Pita ki te pātaka kōrero.
Rama and Pita are meeting in the library.

Ko māua ko Mere ngā kaiāwhina.
Mere and I are the helpers.

He mātua pai a Koa rāua ko Ataahua.
Koa and Ataahua are good parents.

Ko Brooklyn te mokopuna a Lynne rāua ko Barry.
Brooklyn is the grandchild of Lynne and Barry.

Ko Jim rāua ko Doug aku taokete.
Jim and Doug are my brother in laws.

Ka kōrero ia ki a māua ko Mere.
He spoke to Mere and me.

Ko Amaru rāua ko Moana ngā mātua o Ari.
Amaru and Moana are the parents of Ari.

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

Kei te hui a Rangi rāua ko Honi ki te pātaka kōrero.
Rangi and Honi are meeting in the library.

Kei te moe a Angie rāua ko Raiha.
Angie and Raiha are sleeping.

Tokorima. Ko aku mātua, mātou ko taku tuakana, ko taku tungane.
Five. My parents, (me) and my older sister and my brother.

Ko Hone rāua ko Rāhera ōku hungawai.
Hone and Rāhera are my parents-in-law.

Kei roto a Kahurangi rāua ko Hōhepa i tō rāua whare.
Kahurangi and Hōhepa are inside their house.

Māua ko Ari.
Ari and me.

Nō Poneke, engari kei konei mātou ko tōku whānau e noho ana.
From Wellington, but my family and I are staying here.

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

Ko Aidan rātou ko Kaia, ko Liam
Aidan and Kaia and Liam

Ko Tai, ko Moana rātou ko Rangi.
Tai, Moana and Rangi.

Ko Hēmi rātou ko Kauri ko N3 āku tamariki.
Hēmi, Kauri and N3 are my children.

I mahi māua ko tōku māmā.
My mother and I (us two, but not you the listener) worked.

Ko Chris te tama a Richard rāua ko Gin.
Chris is the son of Richard and Gin.

I tērā tau ka haere mātou ko aku hoa ki Pōneke ki te tirotiro haere.
Last year me and my friends went to Wellington to look around.

Mā mātou koutou e manaaki.
We (3+ exclusive) will take care of you.

Ko Moki rāua ko Tū-te-kawa ngā rangatira.
Moki and Tu-te-kawa were the chiefs.

E whakarongo ana māua ko Paora ki te tumuaki.
Paora and I are listening to the head-master.

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

Ko Rongomai rāua ko Moana ōku mātua.
Rongomai and Moana are my parents.

Kua tūtaki au ki a Taika rāua ko tana hoa wahine, ko Rina.
I have met Taika and his girlfriend, Rina.

Kei mua a Miriama rāua ko Rehutai i te pahi.
Miriama and Rehutai are in front of the bus.

Kei te haere atu rātou ko Hone, ko Hōhepa, ko Tai.
Hone, Hōhepa and Tai are going.

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

Nō muri i te piringa o Rangi rāua ko Papa ka whānau mai ngā tamariki.
After the union of Rangi and Papa, the children were born.