As Aotearoa gears up to celebrate its first Matariki public holiday on Friday, Te Puni KÅkiri reflects on this significant kaupapa for MÄori that it has always supported.
Each year the Ministry of MÄori Development helps fund a raft of whÄnau, hapÅ«, iwi and community events to celebrate the MÄori New Year through Matariki or Puanga (the star celebrated by Taranaki and Whanganui iwi).
Te Puni KÅkiri Deputy Secretary Paula Rawiri says it’s exciting Matariki is now a public holiday as it promotes mÄtauranga MÄori and what’s unique to New Zealand.
“The star constellation was an important tohu (sign) for our tÅ«puna to prepare for harvest and today Matariki or Puanga’s appearance has also become a signal for communities to come together.
“Just in the last three years Te Puni KÅkiri has supported over 130 projects across the motu so whÄnau and wider communities can experience traditional and contemporary MÄori practices associated with the MÄori New Year.”
“Matariki projects we’ve funded include maara kai (gardening initiatives), arts and performance, story-telling, workshops and mÄtauranga MÄori speakers. They range from week-long community events to smaller KÅhanga Reo celebrations,” she says.
One event that’s been running for over a decade is the Rehua Marae Matariki WhÄnau Day in Christchurch being held this Saturday from 11am -2pm.
Te Puni KÅkiri Pou Whakahaere and Rehua Marae Trustee Paula Rigby says the event started after the Christchurch earthquakes meant the popular NgÄ Hau e WhÄ Marae’s Matariki events could no longer go ahead.
“Matariki is an important point of difference for us as MÄori to celebrate and reflect on how we think, feel and act. Our focus for the Rehua Marae event is about providing a fun whÄnau event that brought families to the marae outside of it being a tangi.”
“It’s also about opening the marae to our local community so they can experience it, as many are not MÄori. A lot of local people at the first one said they always wondered what happened on the other side of the fence,” she said.
The Rehua Marae WhÄnau Day is always the last Saturday in June and has grown in popularity over the years. It has local kapahaka groups perform, stalls including kai and toi MÄori artists do workshops. This year there will be a mobile pounamu studio so people can make a pounamu taonga (greenstone) to take home.
Paula Rigby says that it’s important we remember that different iwi celebrate Matariki differently, like Puanga.
“For our people it was what they could see with their naked eye and is celestial, how many stars they saw depended on where they were located.”
“Thinking back, some of our whÄnau may have been celebrating concepts of Matariki without even knowing it because of food gathering times, being with whÄnau and remembering people who have passed. I’m a weaver so for me it’s a time for creating and as winter sets in it’s also a good time for wÄnanga,” she said.
In the lead up to Saturday’s event, there is also a performance called TakiwÄtanga by Jolt Dance company at 6:30pm tomorrow at Rehua Marae. This brings together disabled and able-bodied performers, and a young MÄori boy tells his moving story of life with autism.
“We also partner with Christchurch City Libraries and they do storytelling and activities which tie in with our kaupapa. NgÄ Hau e WhÄ Marae puts its lights on each year too. You can see it from the roadside and it offers a beacon of hope that things will get better,” says Paula.
