Pāpāmoa Hills Cultural Heritage Regional Park the setting for Matariki ceremony

Waitaha iwi will host an all-inclusive celebration of Matariki on Sunday morning at the summit of Pāpāmoa Hills Cultural Heritage Regional Park.

Waitaha iwi will be marking Matariki this weekend in a way that embraces and celebrates the cultural significance of Matariki.

On Saturday there will be a half-day wananga at Hei Marae, and on Sunday a hikoi to the summit of the Pāpāmoa Hills Cultural Heritage Regional Park at dawn for a traditional ceremony — Te Umu Kohukohu Whetū. There will also be a hautapu ceremony that includes an offering of food, paying homage to the Matariki whetū (stars).

Te Kapu Ō Waitaha general manager Vivienne Robinson says Te Uepu, a committee made up of Waitaha and other iwi, and Bay Of Plenty Regional Council, has never held an event on such a scale to celebrate Matariki. The community has responded with the wānanga already fully subscribed.

“We wanted to share it with anyone who is interested in the traditions, meaning, and significance of Matariki. I think it engenders a deep appreciation of something that is unique,” she says.

The wānanga will provide information on the individual stars making up the Matariki cluster, the meaning and location of each star and the reasons Matariki is important to Māori.

It will also explain the customary traditions and practices associated with Te Umu Kohukohu Whetū.

The early-morning hikoi will give wānanga participants, and anyone else who wants to attend, the chance to see the ceremony for themselves.

The iwi received more than 100 registrations for the wānanga.

“That includes, from the iwi, practitioners in education, government agencies and the general public.

“It’s exciting to see that kind of response .”

Known as Te Uku A Takakopiri, Pāpāmoa Hills are significant to Waitaha and other iwi that whakapapa to Waitaha.

Vivienne says according to elders, Waitaha is ahikāroa, which means there has been a long-standing occupation of the area.

“They arrived on the shores of Aotearoa on the Te Arawa waka and they occupied those hills that people now know as the Pāpāmoa Regional Heritage Park.

“There are a lot of pā sites there and the hills give a line of sight to many other ancient sites like Mauao, Motiti and out to Rangiuru and to Welcome Bay. They are all connected to those who occupied Te Uku A Takakopiri, so when the fires are burning, it’s also an acknowledgment of the connection with all other Tauranga Moana iwi, whakapapa relationships and shared history.”

The event is being held with support from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, which has governance over the park.

“This is the first time that Waitaha, through their participation on this committee [Te Uepu], has asked if Matariki for our district — for Te Puke — could be celebrated on Te Uku A Takakopiri on this scale.”

Anyone wanting to attend Sunday morning’s event, which starts at 6am, is encouraged to leave 50 minutes to an hour to walk to the summit, and to park at either Poplar Lane or Reid Rd.