Kōrero: Te kāhui o Matariki

Matariki is the Māori name for the Pleiades star cluster. In Aotearoa New Zealand, its rising in the mid-winter sky marks the beginning of a new year in the Māori lunar calendar. The date changes from year to year because the calendar follows lunar cycles. Matariki is also the name of one of the stars in the cluster. In a commonly taught account, Matariki is connected with wellbeing and the gathering of people. The other stars are associated with different parts of the natural world: Pōhutukawa with those who have died; Tupuānuku with food grown in the ground; Tupuārangi with food gathered from trees and the sky; Waitī with fresh water and the life within it; Waitā with the sea and its food; Waipuna-ā-rangi with rain; and Ururangi with winds. Hiwa-i-te-rangi is linked with hopes and goals for the future. These associations offer one way to think about the stars. Matariki knowledge and ways of observing it differ among iwi. Across Aotearoa, people may mark the occasion with remembrance, shared kai, learning, and plans for the year ahead.