Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars called Pleiades or The Seven Sisters. This group of stars rises midwinter here in NZ and for Māori symbolises the start of a new year.

Traditionally Matariki was a time to acknowledge the dead - honouring those who have passed on since the last rising of Matariki; to release their spirits to become stars! A similar tradition exists in Mexico with Day of the Dead celebrations where they dress up, sing, dance and make offerings to people who have passed. Matariki is also a time to reflect and look forward to the promise of a new year. An opportunity to give thanks for what we have; to share and feast with family and friends. Sounds like an amazing potential for merriment and gratitude!

Matariki celebrations were once popular before the 1940s but fell out of favour until the 2000s where it was revived. Hopefully with it officially becoming a public holiday this month, more of us will get involved and celebrate its true essence.

The Matariki public holiday will always fall on a Friday and will shift slightly each year to align with the Maramataka (Māori stellar-lunar calendar). The first official Matariki public holiday is on June 24th this year. However, the date will be 14th July in 2023, and different once again for 2024.

Matariki Public Holiday Bill passed its first reading on 30th September 2021 with 77 votes to 43. A total of $10 million is provided by the government for Matariki and Waitangi Day celebrations and events. New Matariki educational resources will be available for schools and Kura.

According to MP Kiritapu Allan (Minister of Justice) “research shows there are many benefits to public holidays, with business representatives themselves noting Matariki would give a much-needed mid-year boost to the hospitality and tourism sectors….And we all know holidays contribute to employee well-being by reducing stress, helping to prevent burn-out and promote work-life balance.”

We know for ourselves the benefits to our wellbeing of having public holidays…but what about the costs?

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has said the cost will be “something in the order of $400 million per annum and that cost has to be picked up somewhere along the line.” ACT party puts the cost at about $450 million. Much of these costs will be put on employers to cover employees who would be away from work; with increased payments for employees who work the public holiday. Both ACT and National have called for an existing holiday such as Labour Day to be dropped to compensate for Matariki being picked up, otherwise they believe the cost is too great. But could Kiwi’s adjust to not having Labour Day when it has been a public holiday since 1900?

MBIE estimates that the net financial impact of a new Friday public holiday is between a net positive (benefit) of $25.7m and a net negative (cost) of $133m depending on the assumptions made about the value of people’s leisure time. It is a difficult one to know the true cost to taxpayers, but we know business owners will bear the biggest brunt and will have to pass that cost on to consumers.

The timing of this first Matariki statutory holiday could be better, with many businesses already stretched financially (and emotionally) after an incredibly challenging few years due to lockdowns. However, hopefully it will bring benefits to businesses and the economy with the tourism and hospitality industry benefiting from increased spending.

Money aside, perhaps for this new and true Māori public holiday, we can really appreciate what it truly represents: honouring our loved ones (e aroha ana) that have passed; spending quality time with our loved ones who are still on Earth; being grateful we are still here and for all that we have, and perhaps remembering businesses who are doing it tough in order for us to have this new public holiday to enjoy.

References available upon request.