The following are 25 common New Zealand slang words and phrases you’ll likely hear when travelling New Zealand.
If you really want to get a real grasp of some unique New Zealand sayings, this book has 32,000!
At the bottom of the page are audio clips of the New Zealand slang words you’re about to read.
25 New Zealand Slang Words & Phrases
1. Chur
“Chur bro.”
You recognise this already right? If you’re super slow..Chur New Zealand. Chur can fit into sentences in a variety of ways, usually as a replacement for thanks/cheers/awesome. I use this quite often.
Here’s me rambling on for a couple of minutes about ‘chur’.
2. Sweet As
“Yea, sweet as sounds good.”
This means everything is okay/good/fine. From my own experience meeting people overseas who have visited, this is the phase that gets adopted the most. It’s the epitome of the relaxed nature of Kiwis. Adding ‘as’ onto words is a Kiwi slang thing…’wet as’, ‘drunk as’, it all works.
3. Yeah nah
“Hey, are you coming over tonight?”
“Ohhhh, yea nah, I can’t tonight.”
I’m not sure of the roots of this, but if you get a Kiwi in a situation where they need to make a quick decision but aren’t 100% committed we’ll say yes before really getting to our answer. Also happens when people are nervous about saying no.
4. BYO
“Is it a BYO restaurant?”
This one is an anagram for ‘bring your own’, referring to the need to bring your own alcohol (from supermarkets or liquor stores). You’ll often see restaurants referencing that they’re BYO on their menus and/or in shop windows.
5. Knackered
“I can’t go tonight, I’m knackered.”
Commonly misheard as ‘naked’, when you’re really tired/out of energy, you can let people know you’re knackered.
6. Beached As
“Get off the couch man.”
“I can’t eh, I’m beached as.”
This originated from this video series (hilarious), and the term is now used in any case where someone or something is stuck and/or isolated.
7. Bugger
“Ah, bugger, that won’t work.”
If something doesn’t go as expected, you can use this. This commercial will also give you further context.
8. Togs
“We’re off to the beach, bring your togs.”
I find it weird to say swimwear or swim trunks. Basically, whatever you refer to when talking about the clothes you wear swimming, we call them togs. Definitely a very random word!
9. Doing alright? / You right?
“Hey, you doin’ alright?”
In my experience this one annoys Americans for some reason. It’s intended as a general check-in to make sure the other person is okay. There’s nothing untoward about it at all. Also could be said as “You all good?”
10. Keen
“Yea, I’m keen as for tonight.”
You could just say ‘yes’, ‘okay’ or ‘yea’ but when you say keen, you’re signalling that you’re more enthusiastic about the idea.
11. Passed out
“Haha, he’s passed out on the couch.”
This refers to someone falling asleep. When talking about others passing out, it’s in relation to someone falling asleep from too much alcohol. You can also say it in this way when talking about yourself, or indicating you were really tired so passed out.
12. Arvo
“What’s your plan for the arvo?”
Arvo is short for afternoon. This is a straight forward one once you know it.
13. No worries
“No worries mate, I’ll sort it out.”
This is essentially no problem and/or you’re welcome. It’s a favourite for tourists in NZ. Also commonly referred to as ‘she’ll be right’.
14. Tiki tour
“We’ll go for a tiki tour and see what happens.”
You can be on a tiki tour when you’re going for an adventure with no plan, or you’re taking the longer more scenic route to a destination.
15. Bloody
“Oh mate, she was a bloody shocker.”
No animals are killed in the process of saying this one. It’s used when you want to emphasize the word that comes next..she’s bloody beautiful!
16. Eh/Aye
“Oh that’s alright eh.”
This can be used in a couple of situations depending on the context (listen to the audio). The two most common ways it’s used is to question something, or added to the end of a sentence when you want something to confirm what you’re thinking.
17. Skux
“Haha, he think’s he is so skux.”
This is referring to a guy who thinks he is good looking (flash) and/or good with the ladies. Can be used as a compliment to others.
18. Bach
“Let’s go to the bach this weekend.”
A New Zealand beach house/holiday home, usually found in the suburbs.
19. Wops
“That’s out in the wops aye.”
This refers to a place that’s in the middle of nowhere. Everyone has a friend who lives in the wops. Can also be said as wop wops.
20. Stink one
“Oh what a stink one.”
Nothing smelly involved here. If you ask for something and are rejected, you’ll use ‘stink one’ in a light-hearted way. Can also be used instead of bugger (#7) when something doesn’t go to plan.
21. Heaps
“Oh thanks heaps!”
A simple translation for ‘a lot’. This informal descriptor is used heaps all over NZ.
22. Choice
“That’s choice mate!”
This is similar words like sweet, awesome, sensational. It’s not about making a choice.
23. Turps
“He was on the turps last night.”
This references alcohol. Instead of beers, wine, spirits etc. it means general a big night of drinking alcohol.
24. Yarn
“He can spin a yarn.”
Yarn refers to chatting/conversing. You can have a yarn with a mate. If someone is spinning a yarn, they’re usually making up parts of the story. You might hear people saying that was a s&%t yarn, meaning the story wasn’t great.
25. Good as Gold
“Yea, that’s good as gold.”
This means yes, we agree (affirmative). It’s an exaggeration, but when a person uses this New Zealand slang, you can almost guarantee they were listening properly. Another use might be That’s gold, meaning something is awesome.
NEW ZEALAND SLANG PLAYLIST
The New Zealand phrases above are the ones that came to mind when I thought about NZ slang I use/hear on a somewhere frequent basis. I smiled a lot while writing this!
If you’re talking to a Kiwi and they keep using what appears to be some New Zealand slang you aren’t sure of, just ask what we mean. It’ll make us laugh, and you’ll add to your repertoire. It’s a win-win!
When you add in the way we pronounce vowels navigating the Kiwi language and all the slang and colloquialisms isn’t easy. But no worries, you’ll be right aye. We’ll save Maori for another day 😉
If you’ve got any questions about Kiwi slang words, let me know in the comments below. Or drop in your favourite New Zealand slang you can’t get enough of below!
RECOMMENDED READING
70+ New Zealand Travel Tips
Get some more tips and tricks for your adventure
Where to eat in Wellington
This post gives you a location for most of the popular eating scenarios
Some Books About New Zealand To Read Before Your Arrive
I love books, you?
Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.