Is there an AmE/BrE equivalent to the New Zealand English word 'whanau'?

Solution 1:

Extended family is about as close a translation as you'll get, though it also has a wider sense of community. In traditional Maori society the iwi (tribe) is divided into groups called hapu (about the equivalent to the septs of Scottish clans), and below that is the whanau, which is the extended family plus any close friends who are treated like family. A rough approximation of the pronunciation would be FAA-now. The term has gained acceptance as a term by Pakeha (non-Maori New Zealanders), largely because there's no easy direct translation.

A lot can be told about Maori attitudes to genealogy and interconnectedness from the fact that "iwi" also means ancestral bones, "hapu" also means pregnant, and "whanau" also means to give birth.