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Sentences that begin with ko are known as "identity sentences" and answers the question "who is?" or "who are?"
There are four possible kinds of words that follow ko.
(1) The subject can be a personal name or place:
Ko Joan tōku māmā.
Joan is my mother.
Ko Rangi tōku ingoa.
My name is Rangi.
Ko Tararua te maunga.
Tararua is the mountain.
(2) The subject can be a pronoun ("he", "she", "them", etc):
Ko ia te tama a Debbie.
He is Debbie's son.
Ko koe te manuhiri.
You are the visitor.
Ko au tā rāua tamāhine.
I am their daughter.
(3) The subject can be a noun ("the time", "the language"):
Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori.
The Māori language is the life force of Māori mana.
Ko te Rātū tēnei rā.
It is Tuesday today.
Ko ngā manuhiri ērā tāngata.
Those people are the guests.
(4) The subject can also be a word like "this" and "those":
Ko tēnei te whānau.
This is the family.
Ko tērā taku tūrangawaewae.
That's my place to stand.
Ko ēnei ngā rorohiko hou.
These are the new computers.
Ko Koa te tāne a Ataahua.
Koa is the husband of Ataahua.Ko Manu tōku ingoa
Manu is my name.Ko Taranaki te maunga.
The moutain is Taranaki.Ko ā matou kurī ngā toa ki te tiaki hipi.
Our dogs are the champion sheep-musterers.Ko Kahu te koroua o Terewai.
Kahu is the elder of Terewai.Ko tāku irāmutu ia.
She is my niece/He is my nephew.Ko te whare tēnei.
This is the house.Ko te tino tangata o taua marae, ko Hapi.
The leading person of that marae is Hapi.Ko Taupō te moana.
Taupō is the lake.Ko Pania tōku teina
Pania is my younger sister.Ko te Rātū tēnei rā.
It is Tuesday today.Ko te raumati te wā kauhoe.
Summer is the time for swimming.Ko John te tungāne o Fran.
John is the brother (of a girl) of Fran.Ko Kayte te pōtiki o Beverley.
Kayte is the youngest child of Beverley.Ko ōna tuāhine ngā kaiwhakahaere.
His sisters are the organisers.Ko Kuikui tōku whaea. Ko Tahu tōku matua.
Kuikui is my mother. Tahu is my father.Ko ngā tohunga nāna te waka i tārai.
The experts who carved the canoe.Ko Rāhera rāua ko Tipene ōna hoa.
Her friends are Rāhera and Tīpene.Ko ngā pukapuka a Ari ēnā.
Those are Ari's books.Ko koe taku toa!
You're my star player!Ko Riripeti rāua ko Tīwana aku mokopuna.
Riripeti and Tīwana are my grandchildren.Ko te pahi o te kura tēnei.
This is the school bus.Ko te kūmara tāku tūmomo huawhenua pai rawa.
Kumara is my favourite type of vegetable.Ko tēnā te whare nui.
That (near you) is the big house.Ko ia te kaiako o Pita.
She is the teacher of Pita.Ko Wid Vella tōku tipuna.
Wid Vella is my ancestor.Ko ia te rangatira o tēnei tari.
She's the boss of this department.Ko Ani te tamāhine a Hēmi.
Ani is the daughter of Hēmi.Ko Tōrere te marae e tū ai te hui.
Tōrere is the marae where the meeting will take place.Ko Ruahine te ingoa o tērā maunga.
Ruahine is the name of that mountain.Ko te Moana-nui-ā-Kiwa te moana.
The Pacific Ocean is the ocean.Ko ngā rorohiko hou ēnei.
These are the new computers.Ko Mia te wahine a Taika.
Mia is the wife of Taika.Ko te wā kaukau.
It is bath time.Ko Mere tōku māmā.
Mere is my mother.Ko Liam te mokopuna a Beverley rāua ko Denis.
Liam is the grandchild of Beverley and Denis.Ko Hōhepa taku ingoa.
My name is Hōhepa.Ko Kāpuni te awa.
Kāpuni is the river.Ko Āwhina te mataamua. Ko Aroha te pōtiki.
Āwhina is the oldest. Aroha the youngest.Ko Ngāti Hāmua tōku hapū.
Ngāti Hāmua is my sub-tribe.Ko Rongomai tōku tuahine.
Rongomai is my sister.Ko Hera tōna ingoa.
Her name's Hera.Ko taku hiahia he pukapuka.
A book is what I want.Ko Tawa te mokopuna tuatahi.
Tawa is the first grandchild.Ko Tame tērā tangata.
That man is Tame.Ko ōku hoa kei waho!
It's my friends outside.Ko Rewi te rangatira.
Rewi is the chief.Ko tēnei whare te whare o Hone.
This is Hone's house.Ko Rongomai taku tamāhine.
Rongomai is my daughter.Ko Taika tāku pōtiki.
Taika is my youngest childKo Raimona tōku tino hoa.
Raimona is my best friend.Ko Rewi te hoa o Mere.
Rewi is Mary's friend.Ko Jim rāua ko Doug aku taokete.
Jim and Doug are my brother in laws.Ko tōku kuia tērā!
That's my nanna!Ko te kāinga tūturu o Amaru kei Pōneke.
As for Amaru's permanent home, it's in Wellington.Ko taku pene tēnā!
That is my pen!Ko au te rōia mō tēnei take.
I am the Lawyer for this case.Ko Pango te kurī.
Pango is the dog.Ko Nikau mā.
Nikau and the others.Ko tēnei te whare.
This is the house.Ko ahau te kōtiro tuarua.
I am the second girl.Ko au te kaiako.
I am the teacher.Ko Aidan te mātāmua o Kayte.
Aidan is the oldest child of Kayte.Ko tēnei he tekau tana taraka.
This is a ten ton truck.Ko Taranaki te maunga e tū mai rā.
That mountain standing over there is Mount Taranaki.Ko te horopaki tērā ka tohu i te mahinga tika.
Context is what determines the correct usage.Ko Eruera te tangata nā.
Eruera is that person (near you).Ko Brian tōku pāpā.
Brian is my father.Ko Hone rāua ko Rāhera ōku hungawai.
Hone and Rāhera are my parents-in-law.