taonga

British  

/ tɑˈɔnɡə /

noun

1. treasure; anything highly prized

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Etymology

Origin of taonga

Māori

Example Sentences

The feather is registered as a taonga tūturu under a system to protect Maori made objects.

From BBC

Ngāi Tahu, one of the Maori tribes that inhabits New Zealand's South Island consider the takahe as taonga - a treasure that should be protected.

From BBC

Since 2010, feathers shed by kiwi at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., have been collected and sent back to New Zealand as “taonga,” the Maori word for treasure.

From New York Times

They said she was a national treasure, or “taonga” in Indigenous Māori.

From Seattle Times

Waititi, 40, was wearing a taonga, a Maori greenstone pendant instead, which he said was a Maori business attire.

From Reuters