Te Arawa will have karakia and sing waiata to welcome in Matariki from tomorrow

Te Arawa whānau preparing for Matariki. Photo / Supplied

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The treasured art of whaikōrero and karanga, will be the part of the focus of workshops in Rotorua to ensure past traditions of Matariki celebrations stay intact.

Organised by Te Taiawatea Knight, more than 100 Te Arawa whānau are expected to gather in the early hours of Wednesday morning at Hinemihi Marae, Rotorua, to watch the Matariki cluster.

They will say karakia, sing waiata and learn karanga. This ceremony is known as a Hautapu.

This week, the Te Arawa Roopu of kaumatua and kuia, have been heavily involved in strengthening their knowledge around whaikōrero, the tradition of speaking on the marae, and karanga, the call led by wāhine.

Traditionally, these customs and protocols were handed down by the elders.

Other workshops Te Arawa are learning are cultural customs and rongoā - the traditional art of Maori medicine.

But tomorrow it's all about the karanga.

"The karanga and whaikōrero wananga are aimed to our kaumatua to strengthen their skillset on the marae and to regenerate these practices and knowledge It's time to acknowledge the past, present and future with whanau and hapori (community)," Te Taiawatea Knight said.

The delivery of these wānanga comes from the collaborative effort of Te Arawa hapū (sub-tribe) Ngāti Hinemihi, Tūhourangi, and Ngāti Tarawhai.

These wānanga are being funded by the Te Arawhiti, The Office for Māori Crown Relations.

The Government has funded $4 million to a number of organisations to hold Matariki events across Aotearoa.