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