This year marked the first time Matariki has been celebrated as an official public holiday, the first indigenous holiday of its kind in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Officially celebrated on June 24, the day began with an early morning hautapu ceremony at Te Papa Museum, fronted by some of the country's top experts in māramataka (the Maori lunar calendar), mātauranga Māori and te ao Māori.
One of those present at the occasion was Māori astrologist Professor Rangi Mātāmua. To many, he was the driving force in making Matariki a public holiday. Following the hautapu ceremony, he reflected on his feelings about reaching the milestone.
"Yeah, I'm pretty emotional, you know it's a long time coming... pretty overwhelmed."
Mātāmua identified the celebration as a nation-building moment where all people can participate.
"Mēnā e hiahia ana tātou, e whakapono tātou ki te kaupapa, e hiahia ana tātou kia ora te kaupapa nei, haere ake nei me whai wāhi ētahi atu i te ao māori ki tēnei kaupapa."
(As much as this is a Māori holiday, we must find space for non-Māori to learn about our traditions.)
Following the hautapu ceremony, revered te reo exponent Pou Temara expressed his thoughts on how Matariki connects people to each other and their natural surroundings.
"The cosmos is intrinsically interwoven with what it means to be human. All of us descend from people who used the night sky to tell time, to mark events, to navigate.
"The stars have always guided us and served as markers and symbols for how we should live together on the earth. Matariki is one such symbol," he said.
Labour Party election platform
In 2020 the Labour Party were re-elected into Government. As a key part of their platform, they pledged to make Matariki an official public holiday.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reflected the importance that the stars played in navigation and how they continue to act as a waypoint, in both a literal and metaphorical sense.
"It feels incredibly symbolic to me that stars that have been so integral in navigation by our ancestors from now [are] our waypoint on our journey as a nation.
"A journey that doesn't begin or end here, but offers us the opportunity to learn and to go."
However, the process of making Matariki an official public holiday wasn't all smooth sailing, with some expressing their opposition to the idea.
National and ACT were concerned about the cost of the holiday to businesses.
"We could possibly swap it out for Labour Day, but certainly that's a conversation that we need to have," ACT deputy leader Brooke Van Velden said
Despite the opposition from some corners to Matariki, overall from the top of the country to the south, there was support for the holiday with many expressing what it means to them. A concert was hosted in Auckland while in Dunedin locals used the event as an opportunity to pay tribute to lost loved ones.
Matariki 2022 is sure to be remembered as a uniting, magical moment for all New Zealanders.
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