Kāhu ki Rotorua: Cave-full of kumara to feed the stars

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See below for English translation

Ko te whakahaumanu i ngā tikanga o nehe rā

Tuia i runga, tuia i raro, tuia i ngā muka o te whenua e takoto iho nei ko te take he whakamihi nāku i te tau hou e ai ki a tāua te Māori ko te terenga o Matariki,ko te terenga o Puanga,ka ao, ka ao,ka awatea.Kua ea katoa ngā mahi nui o ngā mārama tawhito.

Nō te wiki tawhito i hoki haere ngā tohunga ki te kohi i ngā taramahoe me ngā hutihuti i ngā rua kūmara hai whāngai i te hautapu o Matariki. E mātaki nei e ahau i te ripene a te Toi Tangata pouarahi mātaraunga i a Ranginui Rikirangi-Thomas e kūwhewhewhewhe ana ōna pāpāringa i te harikoa o te whakaaranga ake o ngā tikanga tawhito.

Ka heke a Ranginui me ngā tamariki ki te whakatika i te rua kūmara. Nō Te Rangihakahaka ngā tamariki.Ko te take o tana harikoa, he kaha ora nō ngā hua.

Ko te mahi tuatahi tēnei. Ina te mana nui o te kaupapa ka tuia mai etehi atu whare o Te Arawa pēnei i a Te Puia, Te Toi Tangata Kai Rotorua, Te Arawa Whānau Ora me Te Rangihakahaka e whakangāwari ake ai te kawenga mahi.

E tika ana kia uru mai ngā tamariki ki te whakapai me te whakatika i ngā rua nei e mātau ai rātau ki ngā tikanga o nehe me te whakapakari hoki i tā tātau reo taketake.

Mā Te Puia te kaupapa o Matariki tātau e arahina. Ka puare ngā tatau o te pā taunaha ki te iwi ā te wha o ngā hāora o te atapō. Ki kōnā karakiangia ai te hautapu o Matariki. He whakamihi ki te ao tawhito, me te ao hou.

He utu kore engari ko te tikanga kia rāhuingia he nohanga ina te nui o te hiahia o te iwi ki te noho tahi me tēnei kaupapa whakahirahira.E mea ana tātau ko Matariki terenga whakaaro, ko Matariki tangi i ngā mate ko Matariki tau hou.

Ka rere hoki te whakaaro a Te Puia ki te manuwhiri ki a hāria mai e rātau o rātau mate ki te hautapu. Ki te hautapu ka whakahuangia ake ngā mate ki a ora ake ai rātau ki ngā whatumanawa o te iwi.

E hāngai pū ana te hautapu ki te taiao. Ka āta tirohia e ngā tohunga te māramataka , nā reira i mōhio pū ai rātau ki te wā ka ara ake te kāhui o te tau hou i te pae rangi.Ehara noa i te mihi ki ngā mate, ā te pō nei ka tū he pō kanikani mā ngā kōeke ki te hōtera Crown.

He kaupapa nā Te Puia anō i whakariterite.Nō te pō ka whakaatungia e Te Arts Village he kaupapa waiata, he kaupapa kanikani,he kaupapa haka hoki ko Te Pō Kitakita te ingoa.

The retrieved kumara are prepared for distribution around the rohe.

Hai hoa māna ko te whakarewanga o te māramataka mō te tau 2023 me te tau 2024. Me he tauhou koe  ki te kaupapa o Matariki kia horo ki te hoko i tētehi o ēnei taonga.

Ko ngā iwi katoa huri noa te ao kai te mau i tō rātau ake mātauranga e pā ana ki te huringa o ngā tau.Wheoi anō e noho motuhake mana nui nei tātau te Māori hoki. E whāia ana i te ara haere o te mārama, kāore ō tātau take ki te titiro ki te ara o te ao Ingarihi.

E mea ana hoki tētehi o ngā tohunga, ko te tikanga o te kupu māramataka, ko te huringa o te mārama.

Ko Randal Leach tō tātau poutoi mō tēnei tau. He mātanga nui, he rangatira mahi toi,he tauira tawhito hoki nō Toihaukura. Nō te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau, e iwa tekau mā rima i puta atu ia i taua wānanga.

Nō te tau e rua mano,kotahi tekau mā tahi ka whakawhiwhia e ia ki tana Bachelor Māori Visual Arts, nā Eastern Institue of Technology ki a ia.Nō te tau e rua mano, kotahi tekau mā toru ka whakawhiwhia e ia ki tana tohu Māori Performing Arts nā Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiarangi ki a ia.

Nō te tau e rua mano, kotahi tekau mā waru ka whakawhiwhia e ia ki tana Masters Creative Visual Arts nā Eastern Institue of Technology ki a ia.

Ki tai hoki ka whakaritea e ō tātau tapeha tata he rā whakanui hoki.Ka tu tā rātau kaupapa ki te pāka o Jubilee. Ko Te Kete Matariki te kaupapa, ko tana tau tuatoru tēnei.He āhua rite ngā ritenga ki te tau tawhito, he kapa haka, he whakatangi pūoro.Ka whakangāhau manuwhiri hoki a 1814 tētehi o ngā pēne rongonui o te motu.

Ko ētehi atu o ngā tangata rongonui ka puta ki te tautoko i te kaupapa ko Matariki Allstars, ko Hua Ariki, Ngā Tauira Reo Choir, ko Kanikani mai, DJ Nero , ko Zyon me āna taonga pūoro rātau ko Jo’el Komene.

Ka hora te hākari nui e ai ki ngā rongo kōrero e rua tekau katoa ngā whare hoko kai kua piri mai ki te kaupapa.

Engari puritia ngā moni mō te hāngī. Hai te pō,hai te takiwā o te rima o ngā hāora ko te kanikani nui ki Memorial Hall. Nau mai e ngā hau e wha, nau mai e ngā mana, nau mai e ngā rangatira.

—Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori

English Translation

OPINION

Organisations across Rotorua joined forces to make this year’s Matariki celebrations extra special.

It involved months of preparation and networking to ensure Aotearoa-New Zealand’s latest public holiday was celebrated in style.

July 14 is the Matariki public holiday.

Just about a week ago kumara stored in an ana (cave) were retrieved and distributed to be used in hautapu ceremonies across the rohe.

Toi Tangata pouārahi mātauranga Māori at Healthy Families, Ranginui Rikirangi-Thomas, in a video can’t hide his excitement about how we can start fine-tuning and developing tikanga tawhito (ancient ways) moving forward.

The success of this year’s growing and storing of kumara for hautapu has convinced him that this te ao tawhito practice can be easily adapted to modern living without the need for elaborate and ancient karakia.

Ranginui along with tamariki and whanau from Te Rangihakahaka cleared out the ana.

Clearing the ana was just one project from the network comprising Te Puia, Toi Tangata Kai Rotorua Te Arawa Whānau Ora Collective and Te Rangihakahaka.

Ranginui was enthusiastic in having the tamariki clear the ana because he knew they would remember the experience. As an experienced teacher, he knows children learn more by doing and touching than by reading grammar or linguistics.

Te Puia was to lead the Matariki Celebrations in Rotorua and the gates to the pa were to open at 4am today. The hautapu ceremony acknowledges the rising of Matariki, and the start of the Māori New Year. Matariki is a special time to reflect on the year that has passed, celebrate the present and plan for the future.

Te Puia management and staff invited attendees to take a photo of loved ones who have passed since the last rising of Matariki.

Matariki is also about celebrating and being grateful for what we have in the present and preparing and planning for the promise of a New Year and looking forward to the future,

The hautapu ceremony is aligned with the natural timings of our taiao (environment) under the māramataka (phases of the moon), and will begin when the stars are visible, and conclude when the sun starts to come forth over the horizon.

A special koeke ball tonight was to crown events at Te Puia.

Last night The Arts Village presented Te Pō Kitakita - A Matariki Celebration with music, dancing and kapa haka.

Ranginui Rikirangi-Thomas.

There was also chocolate and stories on the various stars of Matariki. The village had kicked off its Matariki season with the launch of its 2023/2024 Maramataka.

If you are starting out on your journey, this is the planner you will need.

Many cultures around the world have their own version of the Maramataka, which aligns with the phases of the Moon instead of the Gregorian calendar. The Maramataka is the traditional Māori lunar calendar. One translation of the word Maramataka is ‘moon turning.’

This year’s Kaitoi is Randal Leach. Randal has been actively involved in the development of contemporary Māori Visual Arts since he graduated from the prestigious visual arts school, Toihoukura in 1995.

Leach was awarded his Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts in 2011 from the Eastern Institute of Technology, his Bachelor in Māori Performing Arts in 2013 from Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi and his Masters in Creative Visual Arts Practice in 2018 from the Eastern Institute of Technology. He has exhibited locally, nationally and internationally.

Our relations at Te Puke had a big day planned for Jubilee Park.

This was the third year Te Puke mana whenua and the wider community have celebrated Te Kete Matariki and the event continues to grow.

The format was to be similar to last year, with the first part of the day featuring kapa haka performances, and the second part a musical celebration with reggae band 1814 headlining.

Also on the bill is the Matariki Allstars, family band Hua Ariki, Ngā Tauira Reo Choir, dance group Kanikani Mai, DJ Nero, music student Zyon and taonga puoro (traditional Māori instruments) expert Jo’el Komene.

There were to be more than 20 food vendors providing a range of food and drink from kai moana to sellers who are fundraising for various projects.

The day was to run from 10am to 4pm.