Thank you for giving me the opportunity to acknowledge the celebration of Matariki, at this very important time of year. It is important to many people including myself.
Matariki is a day for all New Zealanders not just for Māori, like a lot of people think, it is a day for everyone. Matariki means also connecting with each other, with the land and the sky. It also means taking time to reflect on the past and looking forward to the future through the lens of our Maori ancestors and with our family of today.
Matariki festival gives us an opportunity to celebrate something that is uniquely Māori, recognising Matariki in this way gives people an opportunity to learn more about the culture and history of our city. Many who engage with the festival are non-Māori, Aucklanders can learn stories about where they live, the ground they walk on and what has gone on before them.
Recently we have seen the rise again around the Māori lunar calendar - using the cycles of the moon and signs of the land sea and sky including the stars the lunar calendar tells us the best and worst days for planting and fishing and believe it or not which days are better suited for study and meetings, and which are the high energy more productive days of the month. (Now, I didn’t know that until recently, so you see you are never too old to learn.)
At this point may I add how fortunate we are that at long last the government has recognised what an important date is, and granted us a holiday to celebrate this important time.
This event is not always at the same time of year, what with the dates being different and changing each year owing to how our planet lies at the moment. Also at this time of the year, a cluster of tiny stars twinkle at the rise on the northeast horizon. To Astronomers, this is known as The Pleiades, but to the Māori people of New Zealand it is known as Matariki. A signal of the ending and the beginning of the new life cycle and celebration of the traditional Māori New Year.
Of course, we know we celebrate our New Year in January the Chinese celebrate their New Year in February but is in mid-winter that marks the Māori New Year, it is generally always this time of year. If we're lucky enough, the weather and atmosphere are right, if we look to the heavens we may see these seven beautiful stars, that are commonly known as the Seven Sisters. I'm afraid I have never been fortunate enough to see this beautiful happening I hope to do so one day.
Each star has a name and is associated with our natural world. For instance, one ties the ocean and the foods within it, another represents food that grows on trees etc.
Māori have also used the brightness of each star, as an indicator for the season ahead.
Our people would look to the stars that were brightest on the night of the new moon to predict what was to come, if the star ‘Tupu-ā rangi’ was bright, then food would flourish in the bush. But if it was ‘Waipuna-ā-rangi’ water of the heavens, then it would be a very wet year, we certainly have had that this year.
The word Matariki is an abbreviation of the ‘eyes of the god’ the God of wind and weather. Matariki has opened up conversation for New Zealand to recognise how we, as Māori, have lived over the many years from knowledge around the moon and sun cycles to food-gather and even navigation.
Matariki was a time to prepare for the year ahead, a time to learn a time to celebrate the future, and also a time when all crops have been harvested for food stocks, to last them through to the next harvest. Then it was party time to celebrate! Singing, dancing, eating, concerts and cultural performances.
This was also a very important time to include the coming together and to look back and remember those who have passed on while also celebrating new life, and planning for the future through the lens of Māori ancestors with our family and whanau of today.
It is interesting to know the waka called Tainui sailed into Tāmaki Makaurau,
Auckland more than over 1000 years ago. Since that time, there has been constant occupation and residence from its descendants. The first Māori King lived as the protector of Auckland, which is known today as the Auckland Domain.
So that is my little contribution on Matariki, as a tribute in remembering my ancestors. There is so much more to Matariki, I have just skimmed over it, but I hope even if you have learnt one thing, I shall be very happy.
Thank you everyone, so let us join together, in a concentrated effort to make our world and people a place of peace and hope for all. Blessings and thank you. Irone
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