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Kiwi Vocab: How to Speak “New Zillund”

My Kiwi co-worker Peter van der Zouwe sent out a guide to help us better understand what he’s saying:

If you’d like this guide for yourself, here it is in PDF format.


If you’re still having trouble understanding what your friends from New Zealand are saying, perhaps you’re not familiar with their vernacular. This Kiwi Slang Guide might help.

Joey deVilla

View Comments

  • hehe. this is funny. i never noticed how awesome we sound. ah well............. gosh........ i've got 2 show this 2 my friends.......... do kiwis drone? sometimes it sounds like we do....... hmmmmmmm that's something 2 think about.......

    well thanks for the laugh, and hopefuly people'll be able 2 understand us someday.....hehe

  • Hi, I really enjoyed to take off, of our Kiwi language, but and it is a BIG BUT, I feel you have maligned us so badly.... most of this language usage is from across the ditch our Australian cousins speak like more like this, I know our household and most of the people I work with on a daily basis do not speak like this... so I take issue with your misrepresentation of a cultural language that only a few may speak and talk like... Thank you for hearing my 2 cents worth, which in today current economic down slide is not worth much at all. Kindest Regards. Susan

  • Susan is right sounds more Australian to me too. No New Zealanders I know speak like this.

  • Susan & Julia, I can tell you that we Aussies don't talk anything like this. I am very proud to be an Aussie by birth, and can tell you that this is how you Kiwis sound to us. I find it highly amusing that the Brits can't tell the difference between an Aussie & a Kiwi - they just know that we have a different accent to them.

  • Sue, I am a Brit and I can usually tell a NZ accent from an Aussie one. I live in America, and really hate it when a yank asks me if I'm from Australia.

  • Hi, I really enjoyed to take off, of our Kiwi linguage, but and it us a BUG BUT, I feel you have maligned us so bidly…. most of thus linguage usage is from across the dutch our Australian cousins speak like more like thus, I know our household and most of the people I work wuth on a daily basis do not speak like thus… so I take ussue with your misripresentation of a cultural language that only a few may speak and talk like… Thank you for hearing my 2 cints worth, whuch un today current iconomic down slide is not worth much at all. Kindest Regards. Susan

  • queensland is in aussie not new zealand, if you going to make a new zealand based thing, get your facts right, otherwise its good, just i agree with sue its more aussie than us.

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