Here is a common question: ‘Why do New Zealanders and Australians sound so similar when they are separated by a sea that takes three hours to fly over?’ The answer is straightforward. The first English-speaking settlers of New Zealand were Australian seal-hunters from the penal colony of Port Jackson (Sydney). Later settlers were mainly British. The New Zealand accent grew from an Australian foundation spiced, with inputs from the different regional accents of the British Isles – English, Scots, Welsh and Irish.
There is a tendency in New Zealand English to shorten the long ‘e’ sound found in beg, said and leg, into a short ‘ee’ sound of the type found in seek, leak or peak. So when a New Zealander tells you to do something ‘ageen’, you know they want you to do it ‘again’.
A true clincher to decide whether you are listening to an Australian or New Zealander lies in the pronunciation of the letter “i” in the famous fish and chips test. If your companion likes eating “feesh and cheeps,” he or she is Australian. If, on the other hand, they prefer “fush and chups,” you are undoubtedly hearing a New Zealander.
| Term /Expression: | Meaning: |
|---|---|
| A feed | A meal |
| All good | This basically means ‘everything’s fine’ or ‘no problem’, |
| Angus | Someone with an anger problem |
| As | Commonly use “as” as an amplifier to the preceding adjective. For example, “cheap as” = "really cheap" |
| Aye | It has many different uses so you will need to listen carefully to know meaning in each particular situation. |
| Bro | Use it in place of ‘man’ or ‘mate’ or ‘dude’. It can be used towards anyone. |
| Buggered | Very tired |
| Can’t be bothered | Used when someone is too lazy or just simply doesn’t feel like doing something. |
| Chilly bin | A cooler bin, used for keeping drinks cold. |
| Chocka Block | Crowded/busy |
| Choice | Simply means “good” or “cool” and is used similarly to “sweet as”. |
| Chur | Generally used in place of “cheers” or “thank you”, but in some situations can also mean “OK” or “No problem”. |
| Cuppa | A hot drink, usually short for “cup of coffee” or “cup of tea” |
| Cuz | While technically short for “cousin” this is mostly used as a term of friendship or to casually address someone |
| Dairy | A convenience store, corner store, or mini supermarket. |
| Faa | Considered as shortened version of “far out”, express both excitement and disappointment. |
| Fizzy drink | Soda |
| Gap it | Can simply mean “to leave” or can also mean to “run away”. |
| Gizza | Short for “Give us a”, which actually means “Give me a” |
| Hardout | Has many translations, it can amplify an adjective, shows something is awesome or amazing |
| Heaps | Means ‘a lot’ or ‘very’. |
| Honest to who? | Loosely translates to “Really?” Often the response will be “Honest to G”, which means Honest to God. |
| Hot chips | French fries |
| Hungus | Someone who eats too much |
| Jandals | Flip flops. e.g. Havaianas |
| Jumper | A jersey or sweatshirt |
| Kai | Maori word for food |
| Kiwi | Can refer to either a New Zealander, or the country’s national bird. |
| Macca’s | McDonald’s |
| Mean | An adjective to describe something as really amazing or awesome. |
| Mince | Ground beef |
| Mint | Loosely translates to “cool”, or “awesome”. |
| Not even | Loosely translates to “No way” or “That’s not true”, but can be used in various different contexts. |
| Ow | This can be combined with “Not even” and is used somewhat like an exclamation mark. |
| Reckon | It is a synonym for the word “think”, for example instead of saying “I think so” you could say “I reckon”. |
| Scull | To drink a usually alcoholic drink in one go without stopping. |
| Shot | Has various meaning like, expressing thanks, expressing joy, or to give encouragement. |
| Shout | This is the Kiwi form of the verb ‘to treat’, such as treating someone to a meal or a drink. |
| Suss | Has 2 different meanings, 1- To take care of a task. 2- To describe something suspicious. |
| Sweet as | Means ‘no problem’, or sometimes can just mean a simple “OK”. |
| The wops | Really far away, the middle of nowhere. e.g. She lives out in the wops. |
| To the days | This is pinned to the end of a word or phrase, and means ‘extremely’ or ‘very’. |
| Togs | Swimsuit |
| What a sad guy | This is said when someone does something super uncool. |
| Yeah nah bro | Basically means “Umm” or can just be used to fill space, can be used to start a convo if nothing else to say |
What do the experts say?
The food in New Zealand is incredible, and New Zealanders are rightly proud of their paddock to plate cuisine. Almost everything is sustainably grown and processed, from lamb and seafood to vegetables and fruit.
About 20 percent of New Zealand is made up of National Parks, Forests, and Nature Reserves. And they’re all free to enter!
The Māori cultural experiences and performances offered throughout the North and South Islands are well worth seeking out. If the opportunity presents itself, definitely take part in a hāngī
Looking for a great restaurant in New Zealand? Try The Bunker in Queenstown, Plato in Dunedin, Manu in Christchurch, and Oppies Fish & Chips in Rotorua
All Blacks rugby is huge in New Zealand. If you’re a sports fan, be sure to check out a home game. The All Blacks typically play their home test matches during the months of July, August, September and sometimes October
Unlock more by subscribing to our newsletter.
With our newsletter, you’ll get access to regular communications that inspire you and help you explore the world your way.Exclusive Savings
Insider Benefits
Trending Stories
ExcellentBased on 5,130 ReviewsI want to personally thank my Travel Agent Alice Teramoto who organized two spectacular trips for me! One to Australia and most recently Vietnam and Cambodia. She nailed it! I can’t express my gratitude enough! Both trips were flawless and hassle free! Every experience exceeded my expectations!
I spent my 60th Birthday in Vietnam on the Lunar New Year which was a complete thrill!
I highly recommend Alice and will definitely book with her again soon! Thanks so much Alice ♥️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻AvrilMary G. was an absolute pleasure to work with. I partner with Goway often for Europe and typically have my go to rep, so stepping outside of that for a New Zealand itinerary had me a little unsure at first.
That hesitation quickly disappeared. Mary stepped in with confidence, handled all of my moving pieces with ease, and truly understood the level of detail I needed to take care of my clients.
She delivered a beautifully curated itinerary that exceeded expectations, and most importantly, my clients had an incredible experience in New Zealand.
I’m so grateful to have her as a resource and look forward to working together again.Nichole PierceJoanna was amazing!!! She was able to set up a ten day trip for me in Sydney in a matter of a couple of weeks. All accommodation and tours were amazing and the 24 hour help center was great and where able to call up the tour company and have them come and still pick be up when I had a mixup with the reservation. Would definitely recommend Goway to any friends and family and will definitely be using them again.Erica WolffI cannot sing Erin’s praises enough! She planned an action-packed two-week New Zealand itinerary that hit every single stop on our bucket list. Every experience was truly first-class and luxurious. While I found myself being price-conscious initially, once I saw the incredible quality of the experiences she curated, I knew it was going to be the trip of a lifetime. A huge thank you to Erin and Go Way Travel for making my 50th birthday so epic. We’ll definitely be reaching out for our next big adventure!MichelleExpertise, experience, great information and tailored to just what my client needed!StephanieThis was my second time working with Taha Colombowala, Group Specialist. Our journey to Ghana was top notch! 🇬🇭 The accommodations, curated tours, and coordination with the team on the ground made the this trip quite amazing.
Taha was very supportive throughout the entire process. Goway makes me look like a superstar with my clients!! I am already planning new itineraries.
Denise WatkinsI booked this trip to Adelaide with Goway, after using them before when we explored the 'big' sites of Australia. This time, we went to Adelaide to go to three of the top wine growing areas for wine tastings. We were a small group of 4 people. It was made better as the vendor used Small Batch Wine Tours for all of our excursions. They were fantastic making us the only travelers on these tours. Matthew, the owner, even adjusted our wineries on the last day to go to different place. This place totally marked off everything we were looking for in wine. Ended up buying a couple of bottles.
Between Goway setting it up and Small Batch Wine Tours running the actual tours we had a beautiful and seamless trip. not applicableWe had an Amazing trip. Melissa put together a completely seamless and epic journey, with ZERO issues, everything worked like clockwork and was Perfect!!
Everything we set up and expected to happen worked out exactly as planned!
Not a single aspect was left to chance and our itinerary was perfectly planned and executed!
Donald NLand Package booked was for Bora Bora. The Goway Agent priced out 3 different resorts in the same area. Before making a final decision, she even obtained the menus at the Resort so the clients could decide if they wanted to purchase the 1/2 board meal package. With extreme patience, the agent obtained answers to all of our questions. It was so nice to have this package inclusive of all taxes and resort fees and to have a local agent meet the clients upon their arrival in PPT. EMDI had an absolutely wonderful experience working with Shalini. From the very first conversation, she was warm, welcoming, and genuinely invested in helping me plan the perfect trip. she took the time to understand what I was looking for, offered thoughtful suggestions, and shared incredibly helpful insights that only someone with deep knowledge and passion for travel could provide.
What really stood out was how easy she made everything feel. Every question I had—big or small—was answered with patience and clarity. her recommendations were spot‑on, and I never felt rushed or pressured. Instead, I felt supported, informed, and excited about my plans.
If you’re looking for someone who is friendly, attentive, and truly committed to creating a great travel experience, I can’t recommend Shalini highly enough. She turned what could have been a stressful process into something enjoyable and inspiring.enzo r reda
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified
Verified