What is Matariki?
Matariki is the Māori name for the Pleiades star cluster.
The new Māori calendar year begins on the first full moon after Matariki becomes visible on the eastern horizon, usually sometime in June. This year Matariki becomes visible on 18 June.
Matariki is a time to prepare the land for planting in the spring.
Matariki also has great significance for ocean voyagers as a navigation beacon.
How is Matariki celebrated?
Matariki is celebrated with offerings or koha of specially prepared delicacies, shared by all.
Matariki is also a time for wānanga - such as learning about whakapapa and other activities promoting the transference of whānau, hapū or iwi knowledge.
You could celebrate Matariki by preparing a garden in your backyard, having a family gathering to share family history and knowledge and then have a feast to celebrate the New Year.
Want to find out more about Matariki?
This page lists a selection of resources relating to Matariki.
Manukau Libraries has a Māori collection in each of its libraries, with the most extensive collection held at the Manukau Research Library.
All resources are available from Manukau Libraries.
Resources
- Batten, Juliet. Celebrating the southern seasons: rituals for Aotearoa(291.38 z BAT)
- Best, Elsdon. The astronomical knowledge of the Māori (572.9931 z BES)
- Best, Elsdon. Māori agriculture (630.8999442 z BES)
- Best, Elsdon. The Māori division of time pp. 11-18. (529 z BES)
- Hakaraia, Libby. Matariki: the Māori New Year (394.2 HAK)
- Hyde, Vicki. Night skies above New Zealand (520.993 z HYD)
- Ngā whetu - the stars. Journal of the Polynesian Society Vol. 8, 1899. pp. 105-114*
- Matariki calendar 2002-2003 (529.3 MAT)*
- Matariki calendar 2003-2004 (529.3 MAT)
- Matariki calendar 2004-2005. (529.3 MAT)*
- Matariki [videocassette] (V305.899442 z MAT)
- Matariki: Te whetu o te tau = Aotearoa Pacific New Year (394.2 z MAT)
- Orbell, Margaret. The illustrated encyclopaedia of Māori myth and legend (398.2 z ORB)
- Orbell, Margaret. The natural world of the Māori (993.01 z ORB)
- Simmons, David Roy. Māori Auckland p. 15. (993.2 z SIM)
- Dansey, Harry. Matariki. Te Ao Hou Vol. 61, 1967-68. pp. 15-16*
* Held at Manukau Research Library only.
Other related areas are:
Websites
Māori Language Commission - background information and links
Māori astronomy - from AstronomyNZ
Te Kete Ipurangi - the Ministry of Education's bilingual website
Stardome Observatory - Mana Whetu multimedia presentation
Te Papa Museum Matariki events
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