This year’s Matariki celebrations were, to use the words of our rangatira of Otakou, Edward Ellison, “exciting”.
I did not dare to think that the country, when our government passed the Te Kahui or Matariki 2022 Public Holidays Act, would fall behind the celebration as it did.
In towns and cities across the country, hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders turned up for events as diverse as stargazing until morning tea.
In the media, rangatira like Professor Rangi Matamua told and retold the stories behind the Matariki constellation, and the history attached to it.
Matariki is a time for new beginnings where planting for the next season takes place. But it is also a time to remember, to mark the people who have passed in the previous year.
In Dunedin, the Puaka Matariki Festival hosted various events to commemorate the first holiday. This name – Puaka, known in English as Rigel – reflects how Ngai Tahu observes the constellation.
When Matariki rises in the North Island, Puaka rises in the South Island, and so the tribes of the South mark the Maori New Year differently.
This reflects the different climates in the South Island where the seasonal rhythms are not quite the same as in the North Island. In Dunedin you should not follow the same planting schedule as in Auckland.
It also reflects the curvature of the earth. Because the South Island is closer to Antarctica, Matariki rises later in the South than in the North. With that in mind, look for Puaka as well as Matariki.
This year’s Puaka Matariki Festival blew me away.
The Mana Moana show on Wharf St, where stories were projected to Otago Harbor, was breathtaking. Rachael Rakena, Michael Bridgman, their creative team, and the Dunedin City Council deserve rich recognition for their foresight in bringing the show to the South.
Similarly, the Otago Museum’s program to mark Matariki also deserves recognition. As well as the Dunedin community.
The turnout at the Mana Moana show was incredible, and easily reached in the thousands. I struggle to imagine a similar rise even a few years ago.
It is a testament to the work of rangatira such as Prof Matamua, the dedication and foresight of whanau of Otakou, and the support of various public procurement institutions is so strong.
And when the news always turns out to be “bad”, I still want to stop and acknowledge the growing maturity and celebration of Maori things.
With Covid-19 and the world as it is, it’s hard to find good news stories.
But the public acceptance and celebration of Matariki is truly a good news story, showing how the country is swinging behind the Maori world.
When I was growing up, that was not always the case.
But Matariki – the stories and histories associated with it
it – is something unique to this country.
It’s worth celebrating, which is why it was so encouraging to see Dunedin fall behind.
Mauri bid!