Matariki - Matariki

In 2022, to celebrate Matariki the Māori New Year as a public holiday for the first time, Te Wharewaka o Poneke gifted a moving karakia to Wellington. Have a listen of the karakia, by Ben Ngaia:

On the MBIE website, a team of tangata rongonui / Matariki Advisory Group has gathered an extensive collection of mātauranga and stories of Matariki, describing how we may reflect and incorporate the kaupapa of Matariki into our lives.

About the Matariki public holiday, the MBIE website says:

The Government has committed to ensuring mātauranga Maori is at the heart of celebrations of the Matariki public holiday, and it will be a time for:

Remembrance – Honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki

Celebrating the present – Gathering together to give thanks for what we have

Looking to the future – Looking forward to the promise of a new year

Matariki is an abbreviation of 'Ngā Mata o te Ariki Tāwhirimātea' ('The Eyes of the God Tāwhirimātea') and refers to a large cluster of stars, also known as the Pleiades.

You can read the full document about Matariki Values and Kaupapa (PDF) prepared for MBIE by Professor Rangi Matamua on behalf of the Matariki tangata rongonui / Advisory Committee at the link above.

Matariki values described in the document in addition to the principles above (remembrance, celebrating the present, and looking to the future) are:

• Aroha: Love and respect for one another
• Whakamaumaharatanga: Remembrance
• Kotahitanga: Unity
• Manaakitanga: Caring
• Tohatoha: Sharing Mana
• Taiao: Environmental awareness
• Kaihaukai: Feasting
• Wānanga: Discussion
• Noho tahi: Coming together
• Ngākau Atawhai: Kindness
• Whakanui: Celebrations
• Tuakiritanga: Identity

The Kaupapa are:

• Pilgrimage home: Home, family, identity
• Environment: Reaffirming our bonds and commitment to the environment

Watch a lecture by Dr Rangi Matamua for Te Wānanga o Aotearoa where he shares his extensive knowledge around Matariki and Māori astronomy and how we can all live by the stars:

Dr Rangi Matamua's lecture above includes information about the nine stars and what they represent (see the video's YouTube page description for time markers on the video for each star's details).

For a written guide to the stars and their meanings, try Te Papa's guide to Ngā Whetū o Matariki.

Here is a summary:

• Matariki: Signifies reflection, hope, our connection to the environment, and the gathering of people. Also connected to health and well-being of people
• Waitī: Freshwater and food sources sustained within it
• Waitā: Ocean and food sources within it
• Waipuna-ā-rangi: Rain
• Tupuānuku: Associated with everything that grows within the soil to be harvested or gathered
• Tupuārangi: Associated with everything that grows in the trees: frjits, berries, birds
• Ururangi: Associated with the winds
• Pōhutukawa: Associated with those who have passed on
• Hiwa-i-te-rangi: Associated with granting our wishes and realising our aspirations for the coming year

Find out how we're celebrating Matariki in Pōneke, as well as resources for teachers, students and more with the websites below.

• Te Papa Tongarewa — Matariki resources
  Te Papa Tongarewa have created a range of activities and resources to to help you celebrate this Matariki period — there's so much here to share with friends and whānau and support tamariki in their learning. Also check out Te Papa's 'Matariki for Teachers' resources.
• Matariki ki Pōneke
  From Wellington City Council — what's on in Pōneke for Matariki.
• Te Iwa o Matariki, The Nine Stars of Matariki, from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
  A video and information about the nine stars of Matariki, as well as Matariki dates till 2028.
• Video from Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision: Matariki 2024
  Every year Ngā Taonga prepares a video for Matariki. This year's video (linked above), Hauhake tū, ka tō Matariki, is a special compilation of audiovisual taonga from their collection.
• From Te Ara: Story: Matariki – Te Tau Hou Māori
• Christchurch City Libraries guide on Matariki, plus a resource for teachers (PDF)
  Lots of information, interviews and activities here.
• Auahi Kore Matariki
  Lots of colouring in pages for kids.
• The Tāmaki Makaurau Matariki Festival website
  Videos and more — especially the videos of previous celebrations.
• Matariki. In Te Ao Hou, December 1967, Page 15.
  An article on Matariki from Te Ao Hou from 1967 — a look back in time.
• The Matariki Collection, from NZ On Screen
  "Celebrate iconic Māori television, film and music with this collection, in time for Māori New Year. Watch everything from haka to hip hop, Billy T to the birth of Māori Television. Two backgrounders by former TVNZ Head of Māori Programming Whai Ngata (Koha, Marae) look at Matariki, and the history of Māori programming on New Zealand television".
• Matariki — from NZHistory.net
  Matariki, measuring time and heralding new beginnings.