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There is sentence structure that works like a passive, and is translated in a passive way, where the verb does not have a passive ending.
Instead, the sentence uses he mea... e...
On its own, he mea can be translated with a passive even through the verb does not have a passive suffix:
He mea kōrero.
It was spoken.
He mea waiata.
It was sung.
The subject of the sentence then follows:
He mea kōrero ngā kupu.
The words were spoken.
He mea waiata te waiata hou.
The new song was sung.
The agent - the person performing the action, is preceeded by e:
He mea kōrero ngā kupu e te kaiako.
The words were spoken by the teacher.
He mea waiata te waiata hou e ngā tamariki.
The new song was sung by the children.
This sentence structrure - called the psuedo-passive - is used for past events that have been completed (not for the present or future).
The meaning is the same as a normal passive sentence:
I kōrerotia ngā kupu e te kaiako.
He mea kōrero ngā kupu e te kaiako.
The words were spoken by the teacher.
I waiatatia te waiata hou e ngā tamariki.
He mea waiata te waiata hou e ngā tamariki.
The new song was sung by the children.
The agent can also be marked by nā instead of e:
He mea hanga te whare nā ngā tohunga.
He mea hanga te whare e ngā tohunga.
The house was built by the experts.
He mea hanga i roto i ngā roto i te ara haere atu i Waiuku ki Te Maioro.
[Some] were built in the lakes on the path going from Waiuku to Te Maioro.Ko te māhunga he mea tia ki te hou.
Their heads were adorned with feathers.