Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Hawke's Bay star compass pointing tamariki in the right direction

Shea Jefferson
Hawkes Bay Today·
22 Jun, 2021 03:24 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Mārere Smith with Ngā Roma Poa from Te Toki Voyaging Trust. Photo / Warren Buckland

Mārere Smith with Ngā Roma Poa from Te Toki Voyaging Trust. Photo / Warren Buckland

Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust is encouraging tamariki to connect with the taiao (environment) through their ancestors' knowledge of the stars.

The trust uses Te Ātea a Rangi (The Celestial Star Compass) in Waitangi Regional Park, to teach traditional navigation, and the park is the location of several events that celebrate Ngā Tohu o te Tau Hau (The Signs of the New Year) this week.

The star compass Ātea a Rangi symbolises the navigational skills of early Maori. Photo / Warren Buckland
The star compass Ātea a Rangi symbolises the navigational skills of early Maori. Photo / Warren Buckland

The compass symbolises the trust's kaupapa of navigating the taiao (environment) in relation to Ngā Tohu (the constellations).

While the Trust is celebrating the rise of Matariki, the programme also emphasises the importance of learning about the other signs of Te Takanga o te Rā (Winter Solstice).

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The school programme promotes te reo and mātauranga Māori (Māori language and knowledge), with kēmu Māori (Māori games) led by Michaela Baker of Sport Hawkes Bay, tohu and taiao mātauranga shared by Sonya Sedgwick of Enviroschools and waka mātauranga led by Ngā Roma Poa of Te Toki Voyaging Trust.

Kymani Taukamau was amongst the tamariki who visited the Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust (Ātea Trust) tent set up at Waitangi during Matariki. Photo / Warren Buckland
Kymani Taukamau was amongst the tamariki who visited the Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust (Ātea Trust) tent set up at Waitangi during Matariki. Photo / Warren Buckland

Piripi Smith of Ātea Trust explains "I think its reflective of us as a nation, if you see what's happening with health and education, everything's becoming more inclusive of mātauranga Māori.

"It's just giving the kids a grasp of some of the mātauranga that our ancestors had."

Star origami and a mock beach clean-up was an activity organised by Jacque Wilton of The National Aquarium and was a highlight for several tamariki.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
The Star Compass,  Photo / Warren Buckland
The Star Compass, Photo / Warren Buckland

Fletcher Aranui (8) of Te Ara Hou Kura Kaupapa said she enjoyed the simple pleasure of "picking rubbish out of the sand to make it cleaner".

In their origami stars, tamariki wrote down their wishes for the Māori New Year, which included "Kia kaha ki whai piro (Stay strong to pursue victory)", "My wish is to be policeman", "I wish I was really really really rich" and "Kei te pirangi ahau i tētahi ngeru (I am wishing for a cat)."

Through their kaupapa of engagement with the environment, whether through waka or origami, Smith hopes Ātea a Rangi can continue to forge relationships from Papatūānuku to Ranginui for tamariki and the wider community.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

'Classic spring': Weekend brings strong wind watch for Hawke's Bay

12 Sep 02:18 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Kaea Karauria killing: Three teens now charged with murdering Napier boy

12 Sep 01:10 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

CEO of New Zealand's oldest winery resigns after almost 30 years

12 Sep 12:53 AM

Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

'Classic spring': Weekend brings strong wind watch for Hawke's Bay
Hawkes Bay Today

'Classic spring': Weekend brings strong wind watch for Hawke's Bay

Forecasters warn gusts could reach near severe gale strength in exposed parts.

12 Sep 02:18 AM
Kaea Karauria killing: Three teens now charged with murdering Napier boy
Hawkes Bay Today

Kaea Karauria killing: Three teens now charged with murdering Napier boy

12 Sep 01:10 AM
CEO of New Zealand's oldest winery resigns after almost 30 years
Hawkes Bay Today

CEO of New Zealand's oldest winery resigns after almost 30 years

12 Sep 12:53 AM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP