Ewan McDonald talks to Māori tourism operators about the special significance of Matariki.
For Mervyn and Rangimarie Harding, and their five children - Rangimarie, Stella, Anahera, Rakena and Manuao – it's all about family, home and culture. They are talking about Matariki, but they're also talking about their family indigenous tourism business.
Their five-hour cultural experiences, Tu Tika Tours, begin – literally – in their Whangārei home. There's a traditional welcome, morning tea with warm homemade bread and locally made condiments, and lessons in harakeke weaving and waiata. They take guests on a tour of the city's significant sights and share a hāngī lunch before the farewell ceremony.
Tu Tika – "Stand tall" – is their way of interpreting Te Tai Tokerau and Te Ao Māori to the world and indulging their joy in meeting people from around the world, promoting whakawhanaungatanga – building everlasting relationships through shared experiences.
"Matariki for us is a celebration and time to reflect on the past year, achievements and our learnings that we will take forward with us into the coming year," the couple say. "New beginnings will see us sowing the seeds of life in our gardens, our children and everything that connects us to our world - Te Ao Māori."
That includes friends and relatives, of course. "Nothing beats having whānau around for a nice hot cooked hāngī dinner with freshly baked takakau bread and real butter - all washed down with homemade kawakawa kombucha to celebrate the beginning of the New Year."
Keri Retimanu (Ngāpuhi), kaitohu-director of Karaka Cafe in Te Wharewaka o Pōneke on Wellington's waterfront, sees kai as integral too. The cafe is 100 per cent Māori, Pasifika and Kiwi-owned and operated; they have a "cafe version" of hāngī, alongside brunch and lunch favourites. The menu includes Te Reo translations and traditional ingredients like horopito and kawakawa.
"The team are proud to live, breathe and celebrate proudly, mātauranga Māori through the use of Te Reo Māori on our bilingual menus, tastes in our dishes and sounds of Māori music, each day, not just once a year," Retimanu explains. "The inclusion of a nationally recognised celebration of Matariki is a small step towards a greater understanding and acceptance of these concepts, which we welcome."
Lee-Anne Jago (Ngāti Māhuta, Ngāti Pou, Ngāti Raukawa), husband Todd (Ngāti Raukawa) and their daughters Awatea and Aria run Waka Abel Tasman paddling experiences out of Kaiteriteri, Nelson. That allows the family to share their passions for waka, the outdoors, tikanga Māori and sharing these with others – particularly in uplifting rangatahi and supporting healthy lifestyles.
"Matariki is our true "New Year" for Aotearoa. It is our time to reflect, put our aspirations out into the future and acknowledge our loved ones that have departed in the past year.
"In our whare, we are slowing down and spending more time together as a whānau. We will chat about the year that has passed and make plans for the year ahead. We will mark the rising of Matariki in an early morning ceremony and share kai with friends and whānau."
Nestled among alpine beech and beside a mountain stream in Tongariro National Park, our only dual Unesco World Heritage site for cultural and natural values – and a heck of a lot of great adventures – is Whakapapa Holiday Park.
For general manager Toni Gibbons and Tania, "Matariki for us means a time for new beginnings, setting goals and personal growth, which is fitting for this time of the year and what is happening around the world. Also remembering our tīpuna, celebrating life and achievements.
"Tukua kia tū, takitahi nga whetū o te rangi - Let each star in the sky shine its own light."
Darren Rewi created Take Tuia when, like so many others, Covid forced a pivot into a new area of life and work. He had been telling purakau – legends - and local history in schools across Te Waipounamu for many years and founded his Queenstown-based cultural engagement consultancy to assist businesses and organisations that wanted to connect and engage with Māori.
Rewi is recognised as local kaumatua for Ngāi Tahu in Queenstown and is providing cultural support for Matariki Arrowtown Lights, a free three-day celebration in the town known by tāngata whenua as Kā Muriwai. It includes visual storytelling, light displays and projections and kapa haka.
Says Rewi, "Not only is it a celebration of the Māori new year, for me it's an opportunity to connect and engage with non-Māori and to teach them our stories - to take them on a journey to understand the Māori world."
Appropriately, the last word belongs to Tumu Pākihi The Dark Sky Project on the Takapō lakefront in the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve. It's a joint venture between Ngāi Tahu Tourism, one of the largest tourism operators in Aotearoa, and co-founders Graeme Murray and Hide Ozawa.
"For The Dark Sky Project, Matariki means connecting with each other, the land, and the sky," says business manager Jared Simcox. "It means taking time to reflect on the past and looking forward to the future, through the lens of our Māori ancestors and with our whānau of today."
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