There are some slang terms for girls in New Zealand, such as “hottie” or “babe” for an attractive girl. More general terms which skirt the borders of being true slang are things like “wahine,” an old Maori term used for women and still used to some extent today. Kō is another Maori word used for girl.
What exactly constitutes a “slang” term in this regard is a bit of a matter for debate.
Many old Maori words have made their way into the vocabularies of English speaking New Zealanders, and aren’t necessarily always understood to be a loan word as much as just a slang word even by those that use them.
Other than these, slang terms for “girl” tend to be somewhat context specific.
Let’s find out more.
What do New Zealanders call a girl?
It’s probably worth mentioning that, for the most part, New Zealanders simply use the word “girl”.
The terms in this article are mostly not universal substitutes for any context in which you might use the word “girl” in any of its varied senses.
Most of them are context specific and have a particular meaning.
So, in general, “girl” is the most common word a person from New Zealand will use to describe a girl.
That said, there are a variety of slang terms you will find applied to girls in certain circumstances.
Among young men, an attractive girl might be referred to as a “hottie”.
This is a very common slang expression for an attractive woman in the English speaking world, but it has equally taken on its own uniquely Kiwi character in the country.
Many of all generations will use this term.
Similarly , the term “babe” is used in New Zealand for attractive girls.
Beyond that, there are a few borrowed words from the Maori language which are used for girls in some situations in New Zealand slang.
“Wahine” is one such term, which was originally just a Maori word for a Polynesian woman, in particular it was often used for peoples’ wives.
At the same time, it has come to be a term for a female surfer in both New Zealand and Australia.
Kō, as I mentioned the Maori word for girl, is to some extent used in New Zealand as a stand-in, slang term for girl.
This isn’t all that common, and of course when Maori speakers use this term, they aren’t using a slang term.
That said it bears mentioning.
Let’s find out where these terms come from.
Why do New Zealanders say “hottie”?
Hottie is a fairly recent term in New Zealand slang, and it certainly didn’t originate there.
That said, it has as I say taken on its own distinctive New Zealand character by those there who use it.
It is first recorded as being in use by 1995, where it was considered to be teen slang for any attractive person though most often a girl. It spread to New Zealand through movies and TV, where it was often used in programming for young people.
Since then, its use has expanded slightly, and it’s now more commonly used among young and older people in New Zealand.
Naturally, it just derives from the older sense of referring to an attractive person as “hot”, but with an added –y to turn it into a noun.
Why do New Zealanders say “babe”?
The story of “babe” is very similar, although it’s a much older term.
It first came to mean an attractive woman, particularly a young woman, in English in the early 20th Century—our first attested used of it in this way comes from 1915.
At that time, it was college slang.
Again, through its prevalence in movies and TV it spread quickly to New Zealand, and though in some parts of the English speaking world it has fallen out of use, in New Zealand it has only grown and become more idiomatic.
Why do New Zealanders say “wahine”?
Wahine is a very different case.
As mentioned, wahine was (and remains) originally a Maori word for a Polynesian woman, or more specifically it would refer to a wife.
This word was in use by the time Europeans arrived in New Zealand, so it’s all but impossible to say where it came from with any precision.
Today, though, it’s been adopted into English as a slang term for women and girls.
It is usually used to refer to female surfers, though, rather than just any girl.
Why do New Zealanders say “kō”?
Much the same is true of kō.
This is simply the Maori word for girl, and many English speaking New Zealanders have, if only to a small extent, adopted it as a slang term for girl.
It typically means a young girl, often a child, but it can also be used more broadly to apply to women and girls of most ages.
It might be used as a term of endearment for a woman of any age.
So, while not all terms will apply to all girls all the time, and not all terms will be used by all New Zealanders, there plainly is a fairly varied selection of slang terms for “girl” in New Zealand.
Most of the most commonly used ones depend on a specific kind of girl, at least as far as the speaker’s own personal views go.
Beyond that, many Maori words have entered New Zealand local English to become a kind of slang term of their own.
More in New Zealand Slang
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Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.
Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.
Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.
We commonly refer to women as chicks in NZ. It can reference any woman (less likely for the elderly but some use it more specifically, e.g., ‘this old chick did xyz’) but isn’t used for girls. Some people also use it as a direct pronoun, like, ‘hey chick, what’s up?’. And yes, we do also commonly refer to women as ‘girls’ up to a certain, undefinable age!