Matariki public holiday

What is Matariki?

What is Matariki

[Image of morning sky over a bay]

[Jack Fletcher sitting in the marae at Te Papa]

Jack Thatcher 

Well Matariki is a one of those Pinnacle celebrations.

[Time-lapse of sun setting over a body of water, with the shadow of trees, and the stars of Matariki labelled overtop]

Voice over 

Matariki is known by many names around the world. Pleiades, Seven Sisters, Subaru. There are nine stars in Matariki: Waiti, Waita, Tupuanuku, Tupuarangi, Ururangi, Waipunarangi, Hiwaiterangi, Pohutakawa and of course Matariki herself.

[Dr. Pauline Harris sitting in the marae at Te Papa, moving to time-lapse of a night sky with a lighthouse and body of water]

Dr Pauline Harris 

So Matariki, for me, as well is a large group of stars, known also to many people as the Pleiades. And it has well over 500 stars. It's a very hot region of stars that is a star forming area. And it's around about 410 to 400 and or 450 light years away.

[Image of child on IPad looking at stars in night sky, moving to image of a man and young girl sitting in the back of a Ute in the sunset]

Voice over 

Matariki is a group of stars that signals that the beginning of the Maori New Year is near.

[Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua sitting in marae at Te Papa]

Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua 

The pre-dawn rising of Matariki and the correct lunar phase of the correct lunar month heralds the beginning of the Māori New Year.

[Outdoor fire and kai, cabbages]

Voice over 

Matariki is acknowledged all around the Pacific in rituals and practices.

[Jack Fletcher sitting in the marae at Te Papa]

 Jack Thatcher 

But in the Pacific, most of our indigenous peoples celebrate Matariki, Makali’i, Mata Ariki, all sorts of other names all come to the same star cluster.

[Time lapse of sun rising over body of water, moving to a net it in water, person walking along a beach, aerial view of a community garden, kumara, leaves on a bush, time lapse of clouds moving over a beach, a group of people standing together, man and girl sitting in the back of a Ute, time lapse of night sky, person walking at night time and looking at the night sky]

Voice over 

The stars in Matariki represent kai and elements in different realms. Waiti is associated with fresh water (fish), Waita the Oceans (paua, kina), Tupuanuku the ground (kumara, potatoes), Tupuarangi the kai found in the tops of the trees ( Birds and berries), Ururangi associated with the winds, Pohutakawa to those that have passed on, Hiwa-i-te-rangi our aspirations and hopes for the coming year, and Matariki signifies our connection to the environment, our hopes, dreams, wellbeing and signifies reflection.

[Victoria Campbell sitting in the marae at Te Papa, moving to image of people digging in a field, view of a community garden, shot of a beach, man and young girl walking through the bush]

Victoria Campbell 

Matariki is a star cluster of many that illustrate our kōrero tuku iho. Matariki in particular, for me is associated with mahika kai, our food procurement practices. It's part of an intricate timekeeping system that our tūpuna followed. It's also a time to remember the past, think about the future and plan for that.

[Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr sitting in the marae at Te Papa]

Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr 

It's important to celebrate it because in many ways, it's that chance to find a symbolic start to everything that's going to happen over the next 12 months or so.

[Time lapse of night sky over a rock pool]

Voice over 

Other stars are used to mark the new year.

[Image of Dr. Pauline Harris sitting in the marae at Te Papa]

Dr Pauline Harris 

Matariki represents the Māori New Year as well as other stars such as Puanga, which is a very important star to many other iwi in New Zealand.

[Dr. Ruakere Hond standing in community garden, moving to footage of Dr. Hond walking through the community garden]

Dr Ruakere Hond 

We know that Puanga was recognised widely within Taranaki as the signal for the new year and Matariki wasn’t so much a signal for the new year, but a signal in terms of what the year would hold.

[Rereata Makiha sitting in the marae at Te Papa, moving to a time lapse of the sun and clouds moving over a mountain and body of water, Rereata Makiha sitting in the marae at Te Papa]

Rereata Makiha 

I didn't know a lot about Matariki, because we were brought up to recognise a different way of marking the New Year. So there are two stars that we use. One is Rehua setting in the west, and Puanga rising in the east, and so in Hokianga, there's not a lot of knowledge around the cluster of stars known as Matariki.

[Image of Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua sitting in the marae at Te Papa, moving to a time lapse of people standing around an outdoor fire at nighttime, images of cabbages and kai in a basket, the basket of kai being placed in hangi, back to a time lapse of people standing around an outdoor fire at nighttime, then to Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua sitting in the marae at Te Papa, to images of steaming kai covered cloth, a close up of fire, people working on the fire, a shot of a young girl, back to Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua sitting in the marae at Te Papa, to an image of a woman standing on the top of a mountain looking at the sun, and finally back to Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua sitting in the marae at Te Papa]

Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua 

Māori tribes have various approaches to just about everything. But for a large majority, Matariki or large group anyway, Matariki was the sign that denoted the beginning of the New Year, the change of the season. It's a feast to come together. Matariki is built around really crucial values, like remembering those people that are no longer with us and we farewell them at this period. Celebrating the present with food with coming together, unity, collectivity and planning for the future. And one of the things that Matariki was central in, apart from our very unique and diverse systems of time, is Matariki helped to reaffirm identity and to reaffirm bonds that we have with each other. Those that have passed, those that are still with us and those that are still to come. So it's this very important celebration and period of time, that really helps to embed those central values within us and within our communities.

[End shot: time lapse of a night sky over a marae]

The many meanings of Matariki

[Opening image: morning sky over a bay]

[Dr. Pauline Harris sitting in the marae at Te Papa, time-lapse of night sky over body of water with stars rising moving to a sun rise, Dr. Pauline Harris sitting in the marae at Te Papa]

Dr Pauline Harris 

Matariki is really significant to many cultures around the world and there's lots of ancient stories about what Matariki is and how important it is. It's a star or group of stars that you use to indicate the New Year. So it's the heliacal rising of our stars, and there's many stars that are used to tell what time of the year it is. But Matariki and Puanga, Puanga is the star Rigel, and that those stars are used to indicate the Māori New Year.

[Time-lapse of a night sky with stars over a body of water moving to a sun rise]

Voice over 

A Heliacal rising is a star that rises from the horizon just before dawn. Some stars disappear from the night sky and then reappear again during the year. Matariki is such a star, reappearing in mid to late June depending on where you are.

[Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr sitting in marae at Te Papa, coastline on a bright sunny day, two individuals on a beach looking towards the sun, long grass on a beach, man standing in a field, Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr sitting in marae at Te Papa]

Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr 

For me Matariki means a time of reflection, a time of hanging out with whānau and friends and remembering the people who are no longer hanging out with us. You know, Matariki is a good marker for when we are on a waka, watching the appearance of the stars, whether they're really clear, or really cloudy, can tell us what sort of season, whether it's going to be long, dry, summer coming up, and all those kinds of things. So little messages like that.

[Group of people standing in the dark in front of a fire, close up of a fire, 2 people carrying kai in the dark, kai being put into the hangi, man and girl walking through the bush]

Voice over 

Matariki is about remembrance – honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki, celebrating the present – gathering together and giving thanks for what we have, and looking to the future and the promise of the new year.

[Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua sitting in marae at Te Papa, group of people standing in the dark in front of a fire, a bay with water and a sunrise]

Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua 

I take a dedicated moment to think about those people that have impacted upon my life, and my family. And particularly if we've lost them since the last rising of Matariki, I'll call out their names to the cluster and farewell them that final time as they become a star in the sky.

[Victoria Campbell sitting in the marae at Te Papa, man walking through dirt field, person picking up kumara, person on a beach, man and girl looking out onto a sunrise over a body of water, Victoria Campbell sitting in the marae at Te Papa]

Victoria Campbell 

And so Matariki for me is a time that our whānau gets together and we remember those that have passed during the year. It is also a time to prepare for the future, so we look to what mahika kai, what food sources we might be focusing on for the year ahead. And it's also a time to celebrate and enjoy ourselves and our whānau.

[Dr. Hond standing in community garden, Dr. Hond walking through the garden, Dr. Hond standing in community garden]

Dr Ruakere Hond 

So it is a season where everything has been accomplished in the summer, the spring, the autumn and now, we must start to prepare for the coming year. It is an important time for the family and community to talk about the coming year.

[Time-lapse of a sunny sky with clouds, a mountain and body of water]

Voice over 

Some iwi use other stars such as Rehua or Antares; and Puanga or Rigel to mark the new year.

[Rereata Makiha sitting in the marae at Te Papa, time-lapse of people at nighttime standing around an outdoor fire, kai and a hangi, time-lapse of people at nighttime standing around an outdoor fire, Rereata Makiha sitting in the marae at Te Papa]

Rereata Makiha 

Yeah, I think it's similar with those who follow Matariki those who follow Rehua and those who follow Puanga, that it's a time of closing down the old year. But first of all, what we do is we shut down the old year and then we welcome in the new year and have a look at doing all sorts of different types of not so much celebrations, but reflections and those types of things.

[Woman standing on a mountain looking at the sun, Dr. Hond standing in community garden, close up of fire, Dr. Hond standing in community garden]

Dr Ruakere Hond 

We perform karakia and karanga and greet the star, Puanga. We also farewell the year that has passed. We farewell Rehua (Antares) because Rehua will no longer be seen. When that ritual is done on the hill we come back to the garden here in the village to light the fire. That fire is a symbol of prosperity and health to all upon this land.

[Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua sitting in marae at Te Papa, man standing in a green field, person looking out into the distance, Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua sitting in marae at Te Papa, aerial view of bay with a bridge, hills and a town, Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua sitting in marae at Te Papa]

Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua 

I think to myself, you know, what have I done throughout the year, to support my communities to support my people, my family, you know what, I hold myself accountable at that time of year. And I think about what I'm going to do for the impending year, you know, how have I positively impacted upon, not just my community, but on my environment.

[Jack Thatcher sitting in marae at Te Papa, ocean with a rising sun, Jack Thatcher sitting in marae at Te Papa, time-lapse of a night sky moving to a sunrise over a body of water, Jack Thatcher sitting in marae at Te Papa, time-lapse of a night sky moving to a sunrise over a body of water, Jack Thatcher sitting in marae at Te Papa, child on an ipad looking at a starry image, man and child in the back of a Ute looking at the sky, Jack Thatcher sitting in marae at Te Papa]

Jack Thatcher 

When I think about about Matariki I always think about how our tūpuna when they sailed on their waka down here to Aotearoa, that they used a whole system of different patterns of stars throughout the heavens, and Matariki was one of those whetū that fell into the patterns that they utilise. I learned as a schoolboy, at my old school Hato Pētera in Northcote, Auckand, a little tau that went "Tākina mai rā ko ngā hui o Matariki, Puanga tautoru, ka ngaro Atutahi" this describing a certain area of the sky that's important to the Matariki kōrero. And when we talk about the huinga Matariki we're not always just talking about Matariki itself, but all those stars that create those that patterns around her. So by learning the patterns, we're able to teach our kids to be able to remember the stories and remember the heritage that they have. That's why it's really important to me.

[End shot: time-lapse of a night sky over a marae]

When will we celebrate Matariki as a nation?

[Opening image: morning sky over a bay]

[Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua sitting in marae at Te Papa]

Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua 

We are fortunate to have, what I believe to be, the premier Māori experts in this space. That group has been charged with establishing this holiday and sharing Matariki, pretty much sharing their knowledge base with the country.

[The people from the Matariki Advisory Group]

Voice over 

Māori astronomers today specialize in a variety of areas from celestial navigation, to maramataka. The Matariki Advisory Committee has representatives from across Aotearoa who are leading experts in Māori Astronomy.

[Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr sitting in marae at Te Papa, a large yellow moon]

Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr 

We're lucky that we have experts in that field in our little group. And the reasoning behind our choosing of these dates for celebrating a Matariki holiday is based around what the lunar calendar tells us.

[Time-lapse of night sky to sun rising over a body of water, night sky, time-lapse of sunset over body of water, time-lapse of sun behind clouds over a body of water with a hill in the background]

Voice over 

The star cluster Matariki appears in the early morning night sky before the sun rises in the middle of Winter. When the last quarter moon phase appears after Matariki’s reappearance, this is when Matariki is acknowledged and celebrated. Matariki is visible in the night sky from late June to early April. Some iwi use different stars to determine the new year such as Puanga also known as Rigel.

[Jack Thatcher sitting in marae at Te Papa, coastline with a sun rise, Jack Thatcher sitting in marae at Te Papa, mountains with a sun rise, Jack Thatcher sitting in marae at Te Papa]

Jack Thatcher 

Well in Aotearoa have a lot of regional differences. So we celebrate it at different times. The regional differences generally tend to be when Matariki becomes visible. So you know, we see it, probably first because we're in a coast, we can see it when it's rising above, flat ocean horizon. If you're inland and you have mountains around you, then you see it when it rises above those mountains. When you're on the West Coast, then you don't celebrate Matariki, you celebrate Puanga.

[Dr Ruakere Hond talking over shots of Mt Taranaki and green fields, Dr. Hond standing in community garden, shots of a sandy beach, Dr. Hond standing in community garden]

Dr Ruakere Hond 

Within the Taranaki region,  Puanga is the star we recognise. Notwithstanding that Matariki is also a cluster of stars that we acknowledge, but Puanga is the star we look to to indicate the new year. When Puanga arises above Mount Taranaki, Taranaki recognises this as the beginning of the new year.

[Time-lapse of night sky with stars over a body of water, Dr. Pauline Harris sitting in the marae at Te Papa, night sky with visible moon over a body of water, large yellow moon with outlines of people, Dr. Pauline Harris sitting in the marae at Te Papa]

Dr Pauline Harris 

So Matariki has Pleiades and Puanga is Rigel. And so these are seen in the early morning, just before the sun rises, and that is called a heliacal rising. There's also some iwi that use a certain moon phase, to tell us exactly when, what time that New Year will occur. And for our Matariki holiday, it will be in the last quarter, called the Tangaroa moon phases as well. So after Matariki rises and then Tangaroa appears, that is the time of our Māori New Year.

[Time-lapse of night sky over a rock pool]

Voice over 

The maramataka is the Maori calendar and is based on the sun, moon, stars, environmental and ecological indicators. Both stars and Lunar phases are an important part of maramataka. 

[Victoria Campbell sitting in the marae at Te Papa, time-lapse of a sunset on a coastline, changing to a time-lapse of a night sky over a body of water and a visible moon, of Victoria Campbell sitting in the marae at Te Papa, people in the fields, kumara, people walking along a beach, group of people looking into the distance, group of people standing around a fire]

Victoria Campbell 

So for me, I follow a lunar/stellar calendar system and so the time will vary. But in general, we look for the helical rising of Matariki during the Takaroa Lunar phase, which is towards the last quarter of the lunar cycle. In my understanding from kōrero tuku iho is that was known to be a prosperous time, which for me means it's an appropriate time to, not only acknowledge our loved ones, but also celebrate.

[Man standing at night time highlighted by moon, man looking at moon, Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua sitting in marae at Te Papa, time-lapse of an outdoor fire at night with people, close up of fire, people carrying kai, marae with car in background, child, person, two people pointing at a body of water, Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua]

Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua 

What we've had to do though, is align that system of time to a Gregorian calendar. We've identified the correct lunar phase, of the correct lunar month, of the correct season, and then we've made it the closest Friday to that period, and hence the dates that we've rolled out so we can celebrate it. Those dates are when we stop as a nation to celebrate the Māori New Year celebrate Matariki but that does not mean that that's when people have to observe the marking of the year different tribal groups, different regions, different hapū, different whānau, will make up their own decisions as to when they acknowledge the beginning of their year.

[End shot: time-lapse of a night sky over a marae]