Kia ora Kia ora Kia ora (, approximated in English as ) is a Māori language greeting which has entered New Zealand English. It means, literally, "have life" or "be well/healthy", and is translated as an informal "hi" or "hello" at the Māori Language Commission website Kōrero Māori. It might be used as a salutation, a farewell or an expression of thanks. It also signifies agreement with a speaker at a meeting, as part of a culture which prizes oratory. Along with the other Māori greetings, "tēnā koe"; "tēnā kōrua"; and "tēnā koutou" (respectively, one; two; and three or more people), it
Kia-Ora launched a colourful, animated advertising campaign, directed by Oscar Grillo of Klacto Animations, which used the jingle "We all adore a Kia-Ora", and featured a child in a straw hat, a dog called Fedora who served the drink, and multiple crows who pursued the boy for a drink, with the boy responding with "it's too orangey for crows". Later promotions included Caramba's song "Fido", and the jingle was referred to in the Spaced episode "Gone". The advertisements attracted a degree of controversy in later years, with claims of implicit racism, because the boy looked similar to a golliwog. The brand