KOIORA-BIOASSIST - what does it mean?
BIOASSIST stands for BIOdiversity ASSessment using Information Systems and Taxonomy.
KOIORA is our Māori equivalent for BIOASSIST. 'KOIORA' means 'life', and is also used in Māori curriculum material to mean biology (and bio- in the various combined forms). Koi also means 'sharp', and is used colloquially to mean sharp/quick of the mind, which ties in nicely with a computer-based tool. KOIORA Ora too has a wide range of meanings (living, well, sustaining etc), and indeed you can even say 'kua ora au i a koe' meaning 'you've been a great help to me', so it reinforces the idea that the principal aim of this tool is to 'assist' the biodiversity assessment process.
