Mānawatia a Matariki: Celebrating Matariki

The Matariki star cluster is known by different names around the world. The Greeks and most English-speaking countries call it Pleiades. The Japanese call it Subaru (to come together). The Chinese call it Mao, the hairy head of the white tiger. And in India, it is called Krittika (the cutters).

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Today is our Matariki public holiday - a day to remember those who have passed, celebrate together and prepare for the future.

“It is a time to remember those who have passed this year and also celebrate by coming together with food and festivities and enjoy each other’s company, and also to look to the future and the promise of the new year,” says Professor Rangi Mātāmua, the Government’s chief adviser on Matariki.

Along with those three principles, each year a new theme is introduced to create wider discussions about Matariki.

This year’s theme is Matariki Heri Kai – a proverb that means Matariki Bearing Food.

A good idea to celebrate Matariki is to come together with whānau and friends to share and enjoy kai.

With many events in the Gisborne Tairāwhiti region being postponed due to the weather event this week, many will be spending it indoors and as such, Whakaata Māori has a line-up of programmes that focus on Matariki and associated kaupapa.

At 10.30am, the series Beyond Matariki features Rangi Mātāmua explaining the significance of Matariki in four episodes.

At 1.30pm, Whakaata Māori will screen the documentary Whetū Marama by Toby Mills which celebrates the life and contribution to matauranga Māori of Hekenukumai “Hek” Busby.

At 7pm will be the premiere of season 3 of Haka Pedia, a game show where competitors test their haka knowledge.

Following this will be an episode from the new series Mō Te Ātea, a show that combines animation, interviews and archival footage that dives into the motivations and creative drivers of seven contemporary composers keeping alive the ancient artform of mōteatea - traditional waiata.

Finishing the night will be the feature film, Matariki, which sees a random act of violence leaving eight people in crisis, searching for hope and new beginnings as the constellation Matariki rises.

Matai O’Connor, Ngāti Porou, has been a journalist for five years and Kaupapa Māori reporter at the Gisborne Herald for two years.