The time to celebrate Matariki – or Puanga in some regions – is approaching with the sun, stars and lunar phase aligning for the start of the Māori new year.
This year marks the fifth anniversary since Matariki became a public holiday and many New Zealanders around the country have embraced the opportunity to gather, honour those who have passed, celebrate the present, and look ahead to the future.
This year's holiday is this Friday, July 10, and Matariki Herenga Waka will stream live from Takaparawhau on TVNZ+ at 6am that day.
Professor Rangi Mātāmua, chief advisor on mātauranga Matariki, said it highlights the growing place of the Maōri New Year in New Zealand’s national calendar and the many ways it is celebrated.
"Since 2022, nationally broadcast hautapu have marked the rising of Matariki in communities across the country, including Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Rotorua, Wānaka and Ohakune.
"Each host iwi has shared their unique way of celebrating the Māori New Year, inviting the nation to connect while strengthening ties to their mātauranga and traditions."
Auckland central-based iwi Ngāti Whātua is this year’s host and the theme is Matariki Herenga Waka – For Everyone.
"After five years of bringing Tamaki Makaurau together at Takaparawhau, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei are now welcoming all of Aotearoa to experience the celebration through a live broadcast from the iconic Waitematā Harbour,” said Mātāmua.
Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae, Secretary for the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, said the theme honours the whakataukī: Tāmaki Herenga Waka – the gathering place of canoes.
"It speaks to bringing people together, welcoming everyone to celebrate Matariki, and recognising the diverse communities that make Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland unique.
"The theme connects the celebration with communities across the Pacific and beyond. That connection is strengthened by the attendance of representatives from Pacific countries and the European Union at the hautapu, including French Polynesia which celebrated its first Matari’i i ni’a public holiday in Tahiti and French Polynesia last year."
How to spot Matariki
The midwinter celebration, which is not restricted to a single day, is marked by the rising of the Matariki star cluster.
There is a seven-to-eight-day period where Matariki is viewed in association with the waning of the moon, and the celebration period ends before the new moon.
If the weather conditions are right, the cluster can be seen at dawn before the sun rises.
The easiest way to find Matariki is to use other identifiable star groups as markers.
Before sunrise, look to the Southern Cross (Te Punga). From there, look east where you will see the constellation Tautoru, otherwise known as Orion's Belt or The Pot.
Then trace a line north from the three stars of Tautoru to a triangular-shaped cluster of stars, which is Hyades, or Te Kokotā.
Look towards the left again, and just off the shoulder of Te Kokotā is Matariki.
Above Tautoru is another star called Puanga. This star is also significant to some iwi as a sign of the Māori New Year.
What do the different Matariki stars represent?
There are nine stars within the Matariki cluster (although some areas recognise seven stars).
The central, biggest star is Matariki, considered to be the mother of the eight other stars.
Those other stars are:
- Pōhutukawa – many Māori believe this is the star which guides the dead across the night sky. When the cluster returns to the horizon just before the sun rises, the dead of the year make their final journey into the sky.
- Tupuānuku – associated with food produced from the ground.
- Tupuārangi – associated with the forest, bird life, and the harvesting of food grown in trees or above the ground, such as fruit.
- Waitī – connected to fresh water and all the creatures that live in rivers, streams and lakes.
- Waitā – linked to the moana and the many kinds of food that can be gathered from the sea.
- Waipunarangi – its name means ‘water from the sky’. It will determine whether there will be a drought or an abundance of rain for that season.
- Ururangi – linked to the winds.
- Hiwa-i-te-rangi – the youngest in the cluster and the ‘wishing’ star where people can send their wishes, hopes and dreams for the year.
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