When in New Zealand, you will hear lots of slang including “Sweet As”. New Zealanders have a way of shortening words and statements, so this is just a shorter way of saying “Sweet As Sugar”. “Good as” is a shortened version of “Good As Gold”. Adding “As” to anything can make it mean very or lots of. So to translate, Expensive As means it’s very expensive. Fun as, means it’s lots of fun or very fun. Sweet as and Good as will probably be the most frequent sayings you will hear, but some people attach “As” to just about anything. If someone says Sweet As (meaning it’s very good or great) they are not talking about someone’s butt… Togs are swimwear and Jandals are flip-flops or open-type sandal footwear. "No worries" means nothing to worry about or all is good.
Here is a list of common kiwi slang you might hear when in New Zealand.
Arvo – afternoon
Bach – pronounced "batch" and means holiday home
Banger – sausage, as in bangers and mash
Barbie – barbecue
Bloke – man
Boy-racer – name given to a young person who drives a fast car or modified sports car
Bring a plate – means bring a dish of food to share
Bugger – damn!
Cardi – cardigan
Cheers – thanks
Chocka – full, overflowing
Chook – chicken
Chips – deep fried slices of potato but much thicker than a french fry
Chippy – builder, carpenter
Crib – holiday home like the word "bach" but in the South Island
Cuppa – cup of tea, as in cuppa tea
Cuz – cousin, family
Dag- used to describe an amusing, quirky and likeable person ("He's a bit of a dag")
Dole – unemployment benefit
Dodgy – bad, unreliable, not good
Dunny – toilet, bathroom, lavatory
Flat – apartment, name for rental accommodation that is shared
Flog – steal, rob
Footie – rugby union or league, as in “going to watch the footie”
G’day – universal kiwi greeting, also spelled gidday
Good on ya, mate! – congratulations, well done, proud of someone
Good as gold – feeling good, not a problem, yes. Can be shortened to "Good As"
Greasies – fish and chips
Gumboots or gummies – rubber boots, wellingtons
Hard case – amusing, funny person
How’s it going mate? – kiwi greeting
Jandal – sandals, flip-flops,
Jumper – sweater, jersey
Kiwi – New Zealander
Kiwi bird- small nocturnal flightless bird
Kiwifruit – Brown furry skinned fruit, Zespri, Chinese Gooseberry
Knackered – exhausted, tired, lethargic
L&P – Fizzy soda drink similar to Sprite or 7up but created and made in NZ
Lift – elevator.
Lolly – candy
Loo – bathroom, toilet
Long drop – outdoor toilet, outhouse
Mate – buddy
Motorway – freeway
Naff off – go away, get lost, leave me alone
Nana – grandmother, grandma
Nappy – diaper
No worries- all good, nothing to worry about
OE – Overseas Experience, many students go on their OE after finishing university, see the world (usually 1-2 year adventure, but some stay overseas for much longer)
Pack a sad – bad mood, morose, ill-humoured, broken , as in “she packed a sad”
Pakeha – non-Maori person, usually meaning person of European descent that lives in NZ
Panel beater – auto repair shop, panel shop
Pav – pavlova, dessert usually topped with kiwifruit and cream
Petrol – gasoline, gas
Piker – someone who gives up easy, slacker
Pisshead – someone who drinks a lot of alcohol, heavy drinker
Piss up – party, social gathering, excuse for drinking alcohol
Pissed– drunk
Pong – bad smell, stink
Pram – baby stroller, baby pushchair
Pressie – present
Pub – bar or hotel that serves liquor
Randy – horny, wanting sex
Rark up – telling somebody off
Rattle your dags – hurry up, get moving
Root – have sex, get sex
Rubbish – garbage, trash
Scarce as hens teeth – very scarce, rare (also might just say "scarce as" or "rare as")
Shout – to treat, to buy something for someone, as in “lunch is my shout”
Sickie – to take a day off work or school because you are sick
Sparkie – electrician
Steinie – bottle of Steinlager, brand lager
Stubby – small glass bottle of beer
Sunnies – sunglasses
Sweet As- good, great or meaning 'ok' as a response
Ta – thanks
Take-aways – food to be taken away and eaten, fast food outlet
Togs – swimsuit, swim gear
Torch – flashlight
Tramping – hiking
Twink – white-out
Ute – small pickup truck
Whinge – complain, moan
Wobbly – to have a tantrum
“Kiwis” is short for New Zealanders. This is also small flightless bird or the kiwi.
If you say you eat kiwis, you might get a strange look as it’s usually referred to as kiwifruit in NZ.
Here is a list of common kiwi slang you might hear when in New Zealand.
Arvo – afternoon
Bach – pronounced "batch" and means holiday home
Banger – sausage, as in bangers and mash
Barbie – barbecue
Bloke – man
Boy-racer – name given to a young person who drives a fast car or modified sports car
Bring a plate – means bring a dish of food to share
Bugger – damn!
Cardi – cardigan
Cheers – thanks
Chocka – full, overflowing
Chook – chicken
Chips – deep fried slices of potato but much thicker than a french fry
Chippy – builder, carpenter
Crib – holiday home like the word "bach" but in the South Island
Cuppa – cup of tea, as in cuppa tea
Cuz – cousin, family
Dag- used to describe an amusing, quirky and likeable person ("He's a bit of a dag")
Dole – unemployment benefit
Dodgy – bad, unreliable, not good
Dunny – toilet, bathroom, lavatory
Flat – apartment, name for rental accommodation that is shared
Flog – steal, rob
Footie – rugby union or league, as in “going to watch the footie”
G’day – universal kiwi greeting, also spelled gidday
Good on ya, mate! – congratulations, well done, proud of someone
Good as gold – feeling good, not a problem, yes. Can be shortened to "Good As"
Greasies – fish and chips
Gumboots or gummies – rubber boots, wellingtons
Hard case – amusing, funny person
How’s it going mate? – kiwi greeting
Jandal – sandals, flip-flops,
Jumper – sweater, jersey
Kiwi – New Zealander
Kiwi bird- small nocturnal flightless bird
Kiwifruit – Brown furry skinned fruit, Zespri, Chinese Gooseberry
Knackered – exhausted, tired, lethargic
L&P – Fizzy soda drink similar to Sprite or 7up but created and made in NZ
Lift – elevator.
Lolly – candy
Loo – bathroom, toilet
Long drop – outdoor toilet, outhouse
Mate – buddy
Motorway – freeway
Naff off – go away, get lost, leave me alone
Nana – grandmother, grandma
Nappy – diaper
No worries- all good, nothing to worry about
OE – Overseas Experience, many students go on their OE after finishing university, see the world (usually 1-2 year adventure, but some stay overseas for much longer)
Pack a sad – bad mood, morose, ill-humoured, broken , as in “she packed a sad”
Pakeha – non-Maori person, usually meaning person of European descent that lives in NZ
Panel beater – auto repair shop, panel shop
Pav – pavlova, dessert usually topped with kiwifruit and cream
Petrol – gasoline, gas
Piker – someone who gives up easy, slacker
Pisshead – someone who drinks a lot of alcohol, heavy drinker
Piss up – party, social gathering, excuse for drinking alcohol
Pissed– drunk
Pong – bad smell, stink
Pram – baby stroller, baby pushchair
Pressie – present
Pub – bar or hotel that serves liquor
Randy – horny, wanting sex
Rark up – telling somebody off
Rattle your dags – hurry up, get moving
Root – have sex, get sex
Rubbish – garbage, trash
Scarce as hens teeth – very scarce, rare (also might just say "scarce as" or "rare as")
Shout – to treat, to buy something for someone, as in “lunch is my shout”
Sickie – to take a day off work or school because you are sick
Sparkie – electrician
Steinie – bottle of Steinlager, brand lager
Stubby – small glass bottle of beer
Sunnies – sunglasses
Sweet As- good, great or meaning 'ok' as a response
Ta – thanks
Take-aways – food to be taken away and eaten, fast food outlet
Togs – swimsuit, swim gear
Torch – flashlight
Tramping – hiking
Twink – white-out
Ute – small pickup truck
Whinge – complain, moan
Wobbly – to have a tantrum
“Kiwis” is short for New Zealanders. This is also small flightless bird or the kiwi.
If you say you eat kiwis, you might get a strange look as it’s usually referred to as kiwifruit in NZ.
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