Many New Zealanders will look to the skies and celebrate the first Matariki public holiday this year on Friday, June 24. Photo / Dean Purcell, File
Many New Zealanders will look to the skies and celebrate the first Matariki public holiday this year on Friday, June 24. Photo / Dean Purcell, File
Opinion
OPINION
For generations, Māori have looked to the stars as a marker for time and the seasons.
Stars like Matariki and Puanga have huge significance for iwi and hapū across Aotearoa; it is these stars in particular that herald te mātahi o te tau – the Māori New Year.
Overthe last few years, our nation has become increasingly familiar with the star cluster Matariki. Its re-emergence during the mid-winter sky provides us with time to reflect, to be grateful, to share, to come together, to plan ahead, to grow.
Matariki is an opportunity to connect – with the elements, with nature, with family, and with community.
Legislation which will make Matariki a public holiday – the first to explicitly recognise and celebrate te ao Māori - is now before Parliament.
As New Zealanders we are proud of who we are, what we stand for, and the way we weave together different worlds and cultures to create our unique national identity.
Matariki as a public holiday adds to this sense of identity in a really positive way. Matariki hunga nui – Matariki brings us together.
As a modern Pacific nation, the establishment of an explicitly indigenous public holiday is an important step forward for Aotearoa in reconciling our history.
I'm also pleased that this new public holiday will strengthen the ancestral ties we have with our relations across Te Moananui ā Kiwa – who know Matariki by various names - Mataliki, Matali'I , Matari'i and Makali'I .
Today, an undeniable shift is happening. I believe our children – Māori and non-Māori – will grow up in a world that genuinely embraces our indigenous heritage and recognises the value it brings to our shared national identity.
Many voices that have petitioned for Matariki to be a public holiday have been those of young people. This trend mirrors the ever-increasing appetite for, and interest in te ao Māori, including our reo and mātauranga.
New Zealand kids everywhere are now learning about Matariki and Puanga, and about the history of Aotearoa where discovery begins with the stories of our great navigators, history that older generations often missed out on.
Kiri Allan. Photo / Mark Mitchell, File
Given Labour Day has been a statutory holiday since 1900 and Queen's Birthday (or the Sovereign's birthday before 1952) since 1937, it is past time the kaupapa of te mātahi o te tau was able to be celebrated by all New Zealanders.
We've already announced the dates for the Matariki holiday for the next 30 years, to help people plan ahead. Our Matariki Advisory Group advised the day should be observed on the Friday closest to the Tangaroa phase of the lunar month of Pipiri.
Because the maramataka and our Gregorian calendar aren't neatly aligned, this date will shift around slightly each year – much like Easter.
But that of course does not mean that that's when people have to observe the marking of the year as, undoubtedly, different iwi, different regions, different hapū and different whānau will make their own decisions as to when they acknowledge the beginning of their year.
Matariki will also help to reaffirm our bonds and commitment to the environment.
I am filled with great hope about our evolving national identity and look forward to seeing the people of Aotearoa enjoying a long weekend with friends and whānau under the watchful eye of Matariki.
• Kiri Allan is the Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage.
