Kia ora
Kia ora is a Māori-language greeting which has entered New Zealand English. It translates literally as "have life" or "be healthy", wishing the essence of life upon someone, from one speaker to the other. It is used as an informal greeting or farewell equivalent to "hi", "hello", or "goodbye" and can be used as an expression of thanks similar to "cheers". As a greeting of local origin, it is comparable to the term "".
Meaning
Kia ora can be used to wish somebody life and health—the word ora used as a noun means "life, health and vitality". It might also be used as a salutation, a farewell or an expression of thanks. It also signifies agreement with a speaker at a meeting, being as it is from a culture that prizes oratory. It is widely used alongside other more formal Māori greetings. The Ministry for Culture and Heritage website NZHistory lists it as one of 100 Māori words every New Zealander should know, and lists the following definition: "Hi!, G'day! ".Kia ora can follow a similar pattern to address different specific numbers of people. By itself, it can be used to address any number of people, but by adding koe ; kōrua; and koutou one can specify a greeting to, respectively, a single; two; or three or more people. Similarly, by following with tātou, one addresses all the people present, including the speaker themselves.