English

Noun

palagi ‎(plural palagi or palagis)

1. (Western Polynesia, New Zealand) A white person; a Caucasian.
   • 1979, Albert Wendt, Leaves of the Banyan Tree:

     ‘Serves him right for trying to act like a palagi!’ she muttered to herself.

   • 1994, Jerome Gold, Hurricanes:

     Then Ione said: "Jerry, you are the only honest palagi I ever met."

   • 2010, Oscar Kightley, New Zealand Herald, 10 Oct 2010:

     After 170 years this is the closest Auckland has come to having a brown mayor. Sure he's a Palagi. But his name is Brown, he's run Manukau for a long time and there's heaps of brown people there so he's gladly owned by many in the Pacific Community.