Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a dog, often a mongrel, or a badly-behaved animal.

1946		P.L. Soljak N.Z. 116: New Zealand colloquialisms which are of Maori origin include [...] kuri: dog.
1958		P. Cape ‘Down the Hall on a Saturday Night’ 🎵 Soon as I’ve tied up me kuri / Soon as I’ve swept out the yard / Soon as I’ve hosed down me gumboots / I’ll be livin’ it high, and livin’ it hard.
2001		D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 102/2: kuri n. the police narcotics detection dog.

2. a second-rate racehorse.

1920, 1949, 1995

informants in DNZE (1998).

3. see goorie n.