Mr. S. Percy Smith, of New Plymouth, states that this word was very common in New Zealand fifty or sixty years ago. It was applied to servants, and was derived from the English word "cook." In Maori it is "kuki."
This means "plenty of food," or "sufficient"; but it is European Maori. One Maori, speaking to another, would say "He nui te kai."
The best account of the operation of the law of tapu is given by Judge Maning in "Old New Zealand."