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Story: English language in New Zealand

Dunnies

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Dunnies

New Zealand and Australia share many words. Dunny, a colloquial word for a toilet, is one of them. The public toilets in Ōtorohanga are graced with various words meaning toilet, including dunny, and the Māori term wharepaku.

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How to cite this page

Dianne Bardsley, English language in New Zealand – The development of New Zealand English, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/40325/dunnies (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Dianne Bardsley, published 3 December 2012.