Matariki rising
Celebrate Matariki, the Māori New Year, with toi, kapa haka, rongoā, kai, mau rākau, and waiata.
A time to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and look to the future under the watchful stars of Ngā Mata o te Ariki Tāwhirimātea (the eyes of the god Tāwhirimātea).
The Ngā Mata o te Ariki Tāwhirimātea stars (or Matariki for short) appear in the night sky in midwinter, and in the traditional Māori lunar calendar, (maramataka), the new year begins with the first new moon after Matariki appears in the sky.
Matariki celebrations in Whāingaroa include a range of community events organised by groups like Raglan Naturally and the Toitū Whāingaroa, with activities such as mau rākau (Māori martial arts) workshops, Matariki art exhibitions, and traditional hāngī feasts.
The Matariki stars appear in the night sky in midwinter, and in the traditional Māori lunar calendar, (maramataka), the new year begins with the first new moon after Matariki appears in the sky.
According to Māori legend, Tāwhirimātea, enraged by the separation of his parents, the sky father Ranginui and earth mother Papatūānuku, tore out his eyes and threw them into the heavens, where they became the stars of Matariki.
The cluster are Matariki (the mother) and her daughters Tupu-ā-nuku, Tupu-ā-rangi, Waipuna-ārangi, Waitī, Waitā, and Ururangi, and two others, Pōhutukawa and Hiwa-i-te-rangi. Each star is connected to different aspects of the natural world, like food,freshwater, and the ocean.
Since 2022, a public holiday marking has been held in June or July each year. The first new public holiday introduced in Aotearoa in nearly 100 years, Matariki celebrations predate the arrival of Captain Cook.