An estimated 500 people took part in a “poignant and powerful” Matariki celebration at the summit of Mauao this morning.
The group gathered at the summit of the Tauranga Moana maunga for one of a number of Māori New Year events held around the Bay of Plenty this weekend.
Master celestial navigator Jack Thatcher led a maumaharatanga [memorial] ceremony with a karakia [prayer] followed by a remembrance ceremony of those who had died in the past year.
Those who attended were asked to come forward and place their hands on Te Tapuatea o Mauao (a pounamu stone) and call out the names of their deceased loved ones.
Thatcher estimated 500 people gathered at the summit today - less than the 800 to 1200 last year - but he said it was a perfect number that made the ceremony more intimate.
“We were able to see Matariki just before the ceremony started, then it disappeared behind the clouds.”
Matariki is a constellation of stars that appears in the night sky in the middle of winter, bringing the lunar year to a close and heralding the start of the Māori New Year - Te Tau Hou Māori.
This cluster of stars, also known as the Pleiades, is given the Māori name Matariki, which translates to the “eyes of God” (mata ariki) or “little eyes” (mata riki).
Emma Skellern, from Otumoetai, said it was “a very poignant and powerful” gathering.
“I have lost quite a few loved ones in my life, including my brother and a past partner 11 years ago and being able to collectively release some of those feelings of grief in this way is very special.”
Skellern said the opportunity to reflect on the importance of Matariki was “beautiful”.
It was the first time Gate Pa’s Tracey Ngawhare, her partner Sonny and two daughters Kapohia, 6, and Reikura, 14, had joined the Mauao service.
“It was awesome to be part of such a special and poignant ceremony ... We got ourselves a great advantage point to see Matariki, but unfortunately there was too much cloud pollution,” Ngawhare said.
“But I really appreciate today is a national holiday as it has given our family more of a chance to reflect on the importance of Matariki as well as our loved ones who died in the past year.”
This included Ngahere’s great-aunt Nanny Hariata Ririnu, 103, whose tangi was held on Thursday, Te Araroa East Cape Paapaa Chic Karaka, and Nanny Bubba Ririnui who passed away last month.
“Any chance to walk up Mauao to cleanse the wairua [soul] is a very good day,” she said.
“It felt like I was carrying Nanny Hariata on my shoulders up the hill with me.”
Ōhope’s Anne Bulley, who attended the Mauao service with husband David, said it was “really loving and moving”.
She worked for a charitable organisation called ReliefAid which delivered aid to countries in conflict.
“I took the chance to reflect on all the Ukrainians, Russians, and Syrians who have lost their lives,” Bulley said.
Meanwhile, in Rotorua, a crowd of about 250 gathered on Mount Nongotahā to celebrate Matariki.
The local Māori New Year ceremony, known as hautapu, was broadcast throughout New Zealand on public radio, television and online.
“We are seeing, right in front of our eyes, the changing of a nation,” Māori astronomy expert Professor Rangi Mātāmua told the Rotorua Daily Post.
“This is the first reintroduced indigenous holiday anywhere in the world. This is something that is unique to us.”
Mātāmua has been championing the celebration of Matariki for years.
He said the evolution of the celebration into a national holiday with thousands of hautapu throughout New Zealand was something to be proud of.
“We should celebrate who we are.”
Today’s celebrations took place under a cloudy sky and a crescent moon.
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.