Preparations for the national Matariki celebrations are well underway, but the architect of the public holiday, Dr Rangi Mātāmua, has other commitments.
He has traveled to Tahiti, where there is an appetite for more Matariki magic in the Pacific.
“This year, I received an invitation from the Tahitian Government to discuss Matariki. They have been observing the work our people have been doing here in New Zealand, how we celebrate Matariki, and now recognise Matariki as a public holiday.
“The idea in Tahiti is to follow a similar pathway by setting aside a day in the year as a public holiday to celebrate the Pleiades. As you know, Pleiades is evident in every place and island throughout the Pacific.
Professor Mātāmua said he was “humbled” to accept the invitation to discuss “the processes we followed that led us to recognise Matariki as a public holiday.”
In April 2022, Aotearoa brought Te Ture mō te Hararei Tūmatanui o te Kāhui o Matariki 2022 / Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Act 2022, into effect.
A dual language act (an act that is published in both te reo Māori and English), it established Te Rā Aro ki a Matariki/Matariki Observance Day as a public holiday, effectively the first public holiday to recognise te ao Māori, and the first new public holiday since Waitangi Day in 1974.
The celebration of Matariki is guided by three major principles:
• Remembrance: honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki,
• Celebrating the present: Gathering together to give thanks for what we have,
• Looking to the future: Looking forward to the promise of a new year.
“I see the eagerness within our people growing, resonating towards the teachings of our ancestors but within a context relevant to us in today’s world.
“We were fortunate in previous years that some of us got to visit Hawai’i to see how they celebrate, and well, that’s where we saw that they acknowledge the year that has passed, welcome the new one, and reflect. I realised we celebrate Matariki the same” says Mātāmua.
While he’s overseas, Mātāmua had a message for te iwi Māori: ”Celebrate Matariki the way you see fit, whether that is dressing the part in your kakahu at Hautapu or staying home with your cuppa tea and relaxing, it is up to you.”