Matariki
A time to reflect, remember and recharge
13-20 July 2020
As winter sets in, Matariki rises in the pre-dawn sky, signalling the beginning of the new year. The stars hold the promise of crops and harvests, memories and dreams. Incantations ring from hilltops and feasts are prepared. Celebrations follow.
At this time whānau who have passed on throughout the year are remembered.
Matariki is a time to reflect on the successes and learnings of the past year, to give gratitude and set goals for future achievements.
Matariki – also known as the Pleiades and Subaru - is a group of stars not always visible in Taranaki, Whanganui, parts of Auckland and the West Coast of the South Island at the time of the Māori New Year. Instead, they look for the rising of Puanga – one of the brightest stars in the sky, also known as Rigel in the constellation of Orion.
A time of remembrance
The Māori New Year is an important time for family to gather in remembrance, to acknowledge those who have passed away throughout the year. Loved ones are honoured and released for their journey home. It is a time to reflect on the past year and to celebrate the future ahead.
Curated resources
Resources from our curated resource collection are intended to help you explore the themes of Tuia Mātauranga - our dual heritage and shared future. These links and activities relate to Matariki and celestial navigation.
Living by the Stars, with Professor Rangi Matamua
Join Professor Rangi Matamua as he shares kōrero about Matariki: a Tūhoe perspective; knowledge passed down to him from his ancestors.
The Matariki Collection, in NZonScreen
Celebrate iconic Māori television, film, and music with this collection, in time for the 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. Seventy separate films/series from 1968 to 2011
Matariki and Navigation - Kupe, Cook and Today
Matariki means the eyes of the Ariki, as the small star cluster rises just before dawn in early June from the same point that the Sun rises on the north-eastern horizon. This heralds the Māori New Year: a time to appreciate the importance of stars in early navigation; to use 18th century navigation and charting techniques, and to see how they compare with modern marine navigation and charting.