Matariki signals the Māori New Year. It is a time of renewal and celebration in New Zealand that begins with the rising of the Matariki star cluster in the night sky during mid-winter.

In 2021, Matariki will be celebrated between 19 June and 11 July.

There are a few events happening locally to celebrate Matariki:

Pakiri School Kapa Haka group will perform outside Unity Collections in Matakana Village, dates to be announced. 

The Whangateau hall will be the site of a Matariki potluck dinner on Friday the 2nd of July, starting at 5:00 p.m. All members of the community are invited and are asked to bring a plate of food to share and their own refreshments.

Traditional Matariki celebrations include gathering your friends and whānau and eating together, remembering those you have lost that past year, talking about dreams and aspirations for the future, and getting land ready for the coming year. 

The cluster is best seen at sunrise. From early June, before sunrise, look to the north-east horizon. Find the constellation Tautoru, or Orion’s belt (sometimes called ‘the pot’). Trace a line northward from the three stars of Tautoru. Look for a faint sparkle of tiny dots, about the same width as Tautoru is long. This is the Matariki star cluster. Matariki can also be seen during the summer months in this location of the sky after sunset.

The word Matariki comes from Ngā Mata o te Ariki, Tāwhirimātea (The eyes of the chief, Tāwhirimātea).

Tāwhirimātea (the atua of the wind) was so upset that his parents (Ranginui and Papatuānuku) were separated by Tāne Mahuta (Atua of the forest) that he tore out his eyes and threw them into the sky, creating Matariki.

Matariki was also used by early Polynesian navigators to make their way across Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa (Pacific Ocean).

In 2022, Matariki will be officially recognised as a public holiday. The first Matariki public holiday will be held on Friday 24 June, 2022. The public holiday will shift each year, similar to Easter, but will most likely always fall between June and July.