Pōwhiri explained: what happens and what you hear

A pōwhiri is the Māori ceremony of welcome, in which the hosts, the tangata whenua ‘local people, hosts’, call visitors, the manuhiri ‘visitors, guests’, onto a marae. In order: a woman of the hosts calls the visitors on and a woman of the visitors answers; the visitors walk on and sit; speeches are made by both sides, each followed by a song; the visitors lay down a gift; everyone presses noses and shakes hands; and then they all eat together. Te Aka Māori Dictionary defines pōwhiri ‘to welcome; welcome ceremony’ as invitation, rituals of encounter, a welcome ceremony on a marae, and it is also spelt pōhiri. Below is each step with its Māori word, what it means and what to do as a guest, then how the custom differs from place to place and how to get through your first one.

Updated 18 October 2026 · 12 min read

Tap 🔊 to hear an example. Māori examples play Papa Reo, the te reo Māori voice made by Te Hiku Media from recordings of native speakers.

What is a pōwhiri?

Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, describes the pōwhiri as the process by which the host people welcome visitors on the marae, and says that in recent years it has also been used elsewhere, for example to welcome a new employee to a workplace. Universities hold one for new students: the University of Auckland’s guide calls it a traditional ceremony welcoming people onto a marae, or into a new space.

It began as a way of finding out whether strangers were friends or enemies. Te Ara’s account of Māori manners explains that the women of a settlement, whose voices carried furthest, called out to strangers to make them identify themselves and their intentions, warriors then challenged them, and only after that could they enter and be welcomed. What it does today, in the words of the Auckland and AUT guides, is lift the tapu ‘restriction, sacredness’ of the visitors so that they become one with the hosts. Te Ara’s Mark Derby puts the end point simply: the visitors are no longer potentially threatening strangers, but guests to be cared for.

Every marae has its own kawa ‘marae protocol’, which Te Aka defines as the customs of the marae and meeting house, particularly those for formal activities such as the pōwhiri. Te Ara says different marae have slightly different protocols depending on their iwi or area, but the same formal roles and structure. That structure is what follows.

What happens at a pōwhiri, step by step

This is the order Te Ara gives. Not every pōwhiri has every step: the wero and the haka are kept for some occasions, and a small welcome can be short and informal.

Step	Māori	What happens	What a guest does
1	wero ‘challenge at a pōwhiri’	A warrior of the hosts lays down a challenge; only for a particularly important visitor.	Nothing, unless you are the guest being challenged, who picks up the baton.
2	karanga ‘ceremonial call’	A woman of the hosts calls; a woman of the visitors calls in reply.	Walks on as a group, led by the visitors’ caller.
3	haka pōwhiri ‘welcome haka’	Sometimes, a haka of welcome as the visitors come on.	Watches, and follows the group’s lead.
4	whaikōrero ‘formal speech-making’	Speeches by both sides, in an order set by local kawa.	Sits, listens, phone off; men usually in the front row.
5	waiata ‘song’	A song after each speech, by the speaker’s side.	Stands and sings with your own speaker.
6	koha ‘gift, contribution’	The visitors’ last speaker lays down a gift, usually money.	Contributes beforehand; the hosts pick it up.
7	hongi ‘pressing noses’ and harirū ‘handshake’	The hosts invite the visitors across to greet them.	Shakes hands and presses noses with the hosts.
8	hākari ‘feast’	A meal, which lifts the tapu of the pōwhiri.	Washes hands, waits for the karakia, lets elders go first.

Before it starts: gathering at the gate

Visitors do not just walk onto a marae; Te Ara’s etiquette list says you need to be welcomed on, and that it is impolite to arrive once a pōwhiri is under way. The visitors gather outside, at the waharoa ‘gateway’, having chosen their caller, their speakers and the order they will speak in, and collected their koha. Someone who has never been to that marae before is a waewae tapu ‘newcomer, first-time visitor’, literally sacred feet, and Te Ara notes that an elder in such a group will often say a protective karakia before going on.

How the group stands is one place the published guides differ: see the table further down. The safest thing is to do what the people around you do, or ask.

The wero: the challenge

Te Ara says that in modern times a wero, which Te Aka glosses as the challenge at a pōwhiri, takes place when a particularly important visitor is being welcomed. A full challenge has three challengers, each laying down a baton that the honoured guest picks up; the last challenger then leads the party onto the marae. Most pōwhiri have none. If yours does, only the guest being challenged has anything to do.

The karanga: the call

In many cases, Te Ara says, the pōwhiri begins with the karanga, the call. A kaikaranga ‘caller’ of the hosts calls first and a kaikaranga of the visitors answers, and the calling goes on as the visitors move onto the marae. Te Aka describes the karanga as following a format: the callers greet each other and the people they represent, and pay tribute to the dead, especially those who have died recently. Massey University adds that this is where key information is exchanged, such as where the visitors are from and why they have come.

Te Ara’s account of Māori manners opens with words of welcome: Haere mai, ngā manuhiri tūārangi! ‘Welcome, strangers from afar!’ The University of Auckland’s guide says the visitors stop a fitting distance in front of the meeting house for a minute’s silence, heads bowed, to remember the dead of both sides, and that once at their seats they should stay standing until a host speaker indicates they may sit.

Haka pōwhiri: a haka of welcome

Te Ara says the hosts will sometimes welcome the visitors with a haka pōwhiri, which Te Aka defines as a ceremonial dance performed to welcome visitors, adding that leaves are sometimes waved by the performers as a symbol of death. It is a different kind of haka from the famous one whose words are explained in Ka Mate: the words and what they mean.

Whaikōrero: the speeches

Whaikōrero is formal speech-making. Te Aka describes it as usually made by men during a pōwhiri, in formal language rich in imagery, metaphor, proverbs and genealogy, and beginning with a tauparapara ‘incantation that begins a speech’. Massey University says the speeches link the ancestors to the people present and set out the purpose of the gathering. The kawa of many marae, Te Ara notes, allows speeches only in Māori.

Who speaks when is set by the local kawa, and there are two broad systems, which Te Ara and Te Aka describe in the same terms:

System	Order	Where
pāeke ‘all local speakers first’	All the hosts’ speakers speak first, then all the visitors’ speakers.	Most tribal areas (Te Aka); Te Aka’s example is Te Whānau-ā-Apanui.
tauutuutu ‘alternating speakers’	Host, visitor, host, visitor, and a host speaker has the last word.	Iwi descended from the Te Arawa canoe (Te Arawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) or the Tainui canoe (Waikato, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Toa), says Te Ara; Te Aka names Te Arawa and Waikato.

Tauutuutu has other names: Te Aka lists tū atu, tū mai among them. Either way, the hosts open the speeches. The University of Auckland, whose marae follows pāeke, adds a detail visitors find useful: its visitors’ last speaker sits in the chair nearest the meeting house, so the person on his left speaks first.

Waiata: a song after every speech

Te Ara says that at the end of each speech the speaker and a number of supporters sing a waiata, often a traditional one. AUT calls it the waiata tautoko ‘supporting song’, sung to support and enhance the mana of the speaker; tautoko is Te Aka’s word for to support. Massey advises walking up to stand behind your speaker to sing, if you can. If your group has no song of its own, Massey and AUT both name “Te Aroha” as a simple waiata that suits any pōwhiri, and both print its words on their pages.

Koha: the gift

A koha, in Te Aka’s definition, is a gift or contribution, especially one that maintains a relationship and carries a sense of reciprocity. Te Ara’s Mark Derby says that in the past it took the form of food and treasured objects such as greenstone ornaments, and that today it is generally money, the amount set by what the giver can afford and how much they want to show appreciation.

Te Ara describes the usual way: the visitors collect the money beforehand in an envelope, their last speaker lays it on the ground, and once he has sat down someone from the hosts picks it up. Its etiquette list says to give your share to the elder holding the envelope. Te Aka adds that not all tribes agree with laying it down on the marae, that some prefer to call such donations whakaaro or kohi, and that a koha laid down on the marae is for the marae itself, while one given quietly to a leader in person helps meet the cost of the gathering. The word’s place in New Zealand English is covered in Māori words in New Zealand English.

Hongi and harirū: the greeting

When the formal part is over, Te Ara says, the visitors are invited to come and hongi, press noses, and harirū, shake hands, with the hosts. The hongi, Te Ara’s account of manners says, confirms that the two groups are meeting in peace, and recalls Tāne, who shaped the first woman, Hineahuone, from earth and breathed life into her through the nose. AUT describes it as the joining of hā ‘breath’ and mauri ‘life force’.

Massey University’s tips for a first hongi: move slowly so you do not bump heads, take off hats and glasses if you can, start by shaking hands, do not be surprised by a second press, which is the custom of some iwi, and know that a kiss on the cheek is also common, especially among women. Te Ara notes that many marae now insist on a return to the traditional way, the hongi and harirū alone.

Hākari: the meal that ends it

Te Ara says the pōwhiri ends with a hākari ‘feast’, which lifts its tapu. Massey says the same of sharing food: it marks the formal end. Why food does this, and what noa ‘free from tapu, ordinary’ means, is explained in Māori words with no English equivalent. Te Ara’s etiquette list for the wharekai ‘dining hall’: wash your hands after the pōwhiri, let elders go first, wait for the karakia ‘prayer, grace’ before eating, do not pass food over anyone’s head and do not sit on the tables. Karakia of the kind said before a meal or a meeting are in karakia for meetings.

What changes from marae to marae

Te Ara’s best advice is to ask the local people what they expect. These are the variations the sources name; none of them is a mistake on anyone’s part.

Point	What the sources say
Speaking order	Pāeke in most areas; tauutuutu on Te Arawa and Tainui marae (Te Ara, Te Aka). In Whanganui, Te Ara says, pāeke is usual but visitors at a tangihanga are expected to speak first.
When the hongi happens	Usually at the end of the speeches; Te Āti Awa tribes hongi and shake hands with visitors as soon as they are welcomed (Te Ara).
Who speaks	In most areas women call and men speak; on the East Coast of the North Island many renowned women orators are remembered, among them Mihi Kōtukutuku of Ngāti Porou (Te Ara).
The koha	Laid down on the marae by the last speaker in many tribes, but not all agree with the practice (Te Aka).
Where women stand	At the back of the group while waiting (Massey); at the front, behind the caller, as the group moves on (University of Auckland, AUT); in their own group, as men are in theirs (Te Ara).
The front seats	Men on most marae, though some allow women too (Te Ara); AUT asks everyone to sit with the gender they identify with, or in the centre rows.
English	Many marae allow speeches only in Māori (Te Ara); some welcomes away from a marae have speeches in Māori and then English (AUT).

Pōwhiri or mihi whakatau?

Te Aka notes that for some tribes a pōwhiri is the ritual of encounter on a marae only, and that where welcome speeches in Māori are made away from a marae or meeting house, the term used is mihi whakatau ‘welcome speech’. That is why a workplace welcome is often called a whakatau: see Māori words at work. Te Ara, for its part, calls the workplace welcome a use of the pōwhiri process, so both names are in use.

Your first pōwhiri: a checklist

Drawn from Te Ara’s basic marae etiquette and the guides the University of Auckland, AUT and Massey give their own students:

Arrive early and wait with the visitors. If you are late, do not walk onto the marae or into the meeting house (University of Auckland, Te Ara).
Dress tidily. Auckland asks for no sports shorts or singlets; Te Ara says to dress formally, especially for a funeral.
Phone off or silent, no eating or drinking during the welcome, and listen (Te Ara, Auckland, AUT).
Do not walk in front of a speaker on the marae ātea ‘courtyard in front of the meeting house’ (Te Ara).
You will not be called on to speak by surprise: Te Ara says the visitors choose their speakers beforehand. Introducing yourself comes later, in the mihimihi, which is where a pepeha belongs.
Sing with your side after your speakers. If your group has no song, learn “Te Aroha” before you go.
Ask before taking photos. Te Ara says some marae do not allow photographs, filming or recording without permission.

After the pōwhiri: inside the meeting house

If you are staying, Te Ara says the mihimihi ‘introductory speeches’ begin in the evening inside the wharenui ‘meeting house’, opened with a karakia led by the hosts: people introduce themselves by their ancestral ties, starting with the hosts and moving round to the visitors. They are less formal than the speeches outside, because the marae ātea is the domain of Tūmatauenga, the atua of war, and the meeting house the domain of Rongo, the atua of peace. In the meeting house: shoes off at the door, no eating or drinking, do not step over people, do not sit on pillows, and check before you put your sleeping bag down, because some places are reserved. When the visit ends, Te Ara says the visitors start the poroporoaki ‘farewell speeches’, since it would be impolite for the hosts to tell them to leave.

The words of a pōwhiri, in one place

Māori	Te Aka’s meaning
pōwhiri, pōhiri	invitation, rituals of encounter, welcome ceremony on a marae
tangata whenua	local people, hosts
manuhiri	visitor, guest
waewae tapu	newcomer, a person who has not been to that marae before
marae ātea	the open area in front of the meeting house where welcomes take place
kawa	marae protocol
kaikaranga	the woman who makes the ceremonial call, for hosts or visitors
kaikōrero	speaker
whakanoa ‘to remove tapu’	to remove tapu, as the meal does

Most of these words, and the grammar to put them together, are in our own free te reo Māori course, one lesson a day. For the greetings you will use when you hongi and in the days after, see Māori greetings.