Matariki: Maori New Year

 For Māori, the appearance of Matariki heralds a time of remembrance, joy, and peace. It is a time for communities to come together and celebrate.  A public holiday marking Matariki will be held in June or July each year.  Matariki is a star cluster that appears in the early morning sky in New Zealand during the mid-winter months.

The star cluster is well known worldwide and can be seen around the globe at different times of the year. It is one of the brightest clusters in the sky, containing hundreds of member stars.

Matariki has different names around the world. In English, it is called by its ancient Greek name, Pleiades or the Seven Sisters. In Hawaii it is known as Makali’i, ‘eyes of royalty', in Japan it is Subaru, meaning ‘gathered together’. Matariki is known as the Māori New Year in Te Ao Māori.

Closely connected with the maramataka (the Māori lunar calendar), the reappearance of the Matariki stars in the early morning sky brings the past year to a close and the beginning of the new year.

Mātauranga Māori (ancestral knowledge and wisdom) 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

Historically, the stars of Matariki were also closely tied to planting, harvesting, and hunting. If the stars appeared clear and bright, it signified an abundant season ahead.