Understanding the Māori New Year — a time of remembrance, renewal and connection
A time to remember and reflect
Matariki marks the Māori New Year, signalled by the rising of the Matariki star cluster.
It is a time to remember those who have passed, celebrate the present, and look ahead to the future with whānau and community.
Matariki was celebrated at the end of the summer harvest season, in the last days of May to early June, when Matariki appears in the tail of the Milky Way. The storehouses were filled with food, and the land was made ready for the next seasons planting. This was a time to foster unity and the meaning of whaanau (family). Whaanau took the opportunity to reflect on the past year and plan for the future: through whakapapa, songs, games, carving, weaving and historical stories.
Many cultures acknowledge Matariki but call it by other names: For example Ancient Greek Pleiades, Japanese Subaru, and Hawaiians Makali’i. Similar to Maori, these cultures also believe they have a spiritual relationship with the universe.
Celebrations in Kirikiriroa began in 2009, with a dawn karakia and breakfast to acknowledge a significant date in Waikato history: June 16 1906 “The birth of King Korokii”.
Tainui history tells that a sign was seen in the Matariki constellation at the birth of King Korokii. The Waikato people call this sign, Te Waka o Tainui. During Matariki the waka cast a net across the earth, gathering all those who have passed in the previous year. Our ancestors would weep and lament as Matariki carried their dead into the afterlife.
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