pakeha

noun

pa·​ke·​ha ˈpä-kə-ˌhä  ˈpa-kē-ə 

variants often Pakeha

plural pakeha or pakehas; often Pakeha or Pakehas

chiefly New Zealand

: a person who is not of Maori descent

especially : a white person

Examples of pakeha in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But her family still had to be persuaded to trust this pakeha, this white man, with their DNA. — Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026

Waititi noted that pakehas were the ones most likely to complain about his depiction of Maori life. — Dan Kois, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Maori

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above