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30 Jun 2026

Matariki 2026

Matariki 2026

Mānawa maiea te putanga o Matariki
Mānawa maiea te ariki o te rangi
Mānawa maiea te Mātahi o te tau
Whano, whano
Haramai te toki ata huakirangi
Haumie
Hui e
Tāiki e!

Celebrate the rising of Matariki
Celebrate the lord of the skies
Celebrate the new year
Unite, unite
And bring forth the dawn
Together
In union
We are one!

As Matariki will be rising soon, I was asked to write something about Matariki. Now, I could go through what Matariki is and how many stars are affiliated with that and who celebrates what and which part of Aotearoa recognises 9 or 7 or just Puanga (Regel) depending on your geographical location and what stars are associated or connected with what etc however, most if not all are accessible on the net, so just ask aunty google. There is something about gathering information yourself and finding your own relevance to whatever you are researching etc.

So here are my thoughts.  Like a lot of people, Matariki was not on my radar until later on in life, and to be fair, there wasn’t enough information connecting to it unless you were privileged enough to attend wānanga that had facilitators or kaiako that knew a lot about the kaupapa and how we could incorporate it into a yearly celebration other than mimicking it like the 1st January New Year’s celebrations. Which to me, didn’t make much sense at the time.

So thanks to the likes of Rangi Mātāmua and others who have brought it out and made it more accessible for everyone to understand and start practising some of the rituals and karakia that are or can be associated with Matariki (like the opening karakia above from Rangi) and the 9 or 7 stars, depending where you are from.

So in my reflections, I started to realise the why’s of certain practices and I will go through 3 of the main ones for me.

Remembrance. There are a few times of the year that I have practiced remembrance of people who have joined tupuna.

  • Is a year after someone has passed and during that year taking our kawe mate around to other tangihanga. Not all, because I found out from losing someone really close to me that it is difficult to fulfil the obligations of whānau pani. However, I do try.
  • On Anzac Day, even though most of my whānau did not go to war (there are 2 that I know of), I still honour those who did in my way. ‘Kei warewaretia’ – ‘Let us never forget’
  • Koroneihana, when we take our kawe mate on to Tūrangawaewae in front of the reigning arikinui of the time. Also acknowledging all the whānau who have lost someone during that year.
  • Now, Matariki. It can be a time for all Māori and non Māori to practice something that affects us all together because as I have come to know, there are 2 things we cannot escape, which are death and the tax man. So it gives us all the opportunity to unite under the 1 umbrella. Remembering those who have passed away. Something beautiful and sad at the same time. ‘He kokona o te whare, ka kitea, he kokona o te ngākau, e kore e kitea’ – ‘The corners of the house can be seen, the corners of the heart cannot’

Being present. Being present with the ones you love and clicking with. Whether it’s around kai (because lets face it, it’s all about the kai), wānanga or learning something new together or singing, or just chilling watching movies and doing nothing (which is pretty rare for me lately). The weather lately forces us to be a more indoors type of activity which has its challenges, however in my eyes the benefits of noho puku or resetting and connecting is a must to me.

Goal setting or planning for the new year. What would we like to achieve in the coming year? How will we celebrate those achievements? Reflecting on what and how we accomplished last year’s goals, if at all? How to adjust our goals to fit into an already busy lifestyle etc. All that good stuff that we like to challenge ourselves with. I know that there are some people who are happy with the way things are for them as they are, and just want to continue to do the things that makes them happy? After all, isn’t that what a lot of people are trying to achieve? Happiness? Fulfilment? For me, it is learning something new, going to a place I have never been to before and meeting new people while sustaining the connections and friendships that I already have. 1 thing I love to be a part of, is when someone does something for the first time whatever it may be.

So my encouragement to the reader is this. Remember those who have passed away and continue to love them and remember the things that make you smile about them. Be present in the moments with those around you and appreciate what you have and not bum out on things you don’t have….yet. Plan how you will achieve the things you would like to achieve and the things you do not have yet. Kia kaha tātou.

Mauri tū Mauri ora! Hau, Paimarire!

Written by: Kereama Clarke, Creative Waikato team member