We have noticed that Kiwis have many words and expressions that are either slightly different than "American" English or at times, quite different. We have been collecting these and here is our current list. Some of these are distinctively Kiwi, yet many are from their British colonial heritage. There are many plants, animals and natural features unique to New Zealand that have Maori names, but we decided to limit this list to English variations. If you know of others, please share.
Kiwi - American
“Sweet as” – “sounds good” or “O.K.”
Bake house – bakery
Barbie – grill
Bach – summer home
Biscuit or bikkie – cookie
Bonnet – hood of a vehicle
Boot – trunk (of a car)
Brekkie – breakfast
Bugger – darn
Bum – bottom
Bush – forest/outdoors
Capsicum – pepper (sweet or hot)
Carpark – parking lot
Centre – center
Cheers – good-bye, hello or thank you
Crisp – potato chip
Cuppa – a cup of tea or coffee, as in “join me for a cuppa”
Dairy – convenience store
Docket-receipt
Flat battery – dead battery (in a car)
Flat white – coffee with milk
Footpath – sidewalk
Full stop – period
Gidday – hello
Give way – yield
Gum boots – rubber boots
Hire – rent
Hoon-crazy, obnoxious driver
Jandal – sandal
Jumper – sweater
Lolly – candy
Motorway - highway
Mum – Mom
Nappies – diapers
Overtake – pass (as in pass a car)
Paper - course (as in students take "papers", not "courses")
Pardon – excuse me
Petrol – gas/fuel (for a car)
Pikelets - pancakes
Plaster or sticky plaster-bandaid
POMS – British immigrants (Prisoner of her Majesty’s Service)
Rubbish – trash
Sauce – ketchup
Serviettes-dinner napkins
Slip – landslide
Stationery-school supplies
Take away – take out (as in food)
Tea – snack or dinner
Till – checkout counter
Tin – can
Tin foil – aluminum foil
To pop in – To come in
To ring – to phone/call
Togs – bathing suit
Track – trail
Tramping – hiking
Trolley – shopping cart
Tuition - lesson (as in “piano tuition” for “piano lesson”)
Tyre – tire
Whilst – while
Windscreen - windshield
