Māori language Māori phrase "kia kaha", "be strong", is frequently encountered as an indication of moral support for someone starting a stressful undertaking or otherwise in a difficult situation. Many other words such as "whānau" (meaning "family") and "kai" (meaning "food") are also widely understood and used by New Zealanders. Māori language Māori (; ), also known as te reo ("the language"), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and Tahitian, it became one of New Zealand's official languages in 1987. The number of speakers of
Kia kaha Primary School (Kia Kaha). Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles (QAMR) an armored regiment based at Waiouru uses Ake Ake Kia Kaha as their motto. Kia kaha is also used in the film "Forever Strong", and is the motto of the Highland High School rugby team which features in the film. The trainers of Beachbody's Les Mills Pump home workout program also use this phrase regularly throughout the program. When the 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit the New Zealand city of Christchurch on 22 February 2011, following the 4 September 2010 earthquake, "Kia Kaha" became the iconic phrase used by family and friends