Mānawatia a Matariki

Happy Matariki/Māori New Year, 28 June 2024

Image source: Stephen Rahn

Matariki (an abbreviation of Ngā Mata o te Ariki Tāwhirimātea/The Eyes of the God Tāwhirimātea) is a constellation of nine stars known in other parts of the world as the Pleiades.

According to the Māori creation myth, Ranginui/sky father and Papatūānuku/earth mother lay together, embracing each other, with their sons dwelling in the dark, cramped space between them. As the children grew, some became restless and wanted to live in the light. They succeeded in forcing apart Ranginui and Papatūānuku.

Tāwhirimātea, the god of the wind, became so angry about his parents’ forced separation that he tore out his eyes and threw them into the heavens, where they became the stars.

Matariki disappears from the skies in early winter, bringing the past year to a close, then rises again in midwinter (June/July in the Southern Hemisphere), which signals the start of the new year. The date varies each year; in 2024 it falls on Friday 28 June.

This is a time to come together to pay our respects to those who have died since the last rising of Matariki, and release their spirits to become stars. We also welcome people who have joined our whānau/family, celebrate what we have now and look forward to what the new year will bring.

Whakataukī/Māori proverb:

Matariki hunga nui / Matariki, the gatherer of people