Matariki - celebrating together the Māori New Year!

By Annette Osborne -
Matariki is now officially celebrated as a public holiday in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The dates shift every year, depending on the rising of the Matariki cluster of stars. Māori New Year is celebrated when Matariki appears again in the sky. Matariki is a cluster of stars that is also known as the Pleiades and can be seen from late May or early June.
There is much to understand and experience about Matariki. We suggest that you spend time learning and talking with tangata whenua as part of the process. Be sensitive to the complexity of some of the discussions, what children are learning at school, and the humility needed in this conversation. Please contact us to talk further about this.

Here are some good places to start that journey:

- Te Papa: a range of educational resources, including this free downloadable activity book.
- Here's how to find Matariki in the sky! Youtube clip.
- Learning about the stars from the Auckland Stardome.


'...Nāna nei i hanga a Aketura, a Tautoru, a Matariki, me ngā rūma i te tonga." Hopa 9:9
...and set the stars in place - the Big Dipper and Orion, the Pleides and the stars in the southern sky.

 


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