Matariki
What is it?
Matariki is a Māori word that can be translated as tiny eyes, or eyes of God. It is also the name for the Māori New Year celebration and the Māori name for a small group of stars (Pleiades) that drop below the horizon in April and reappear in June. When this happens, it is the signal for the Māori New Year to start. Early Māori sailors used these stars to help them find their way.
What happens?
Different tribes celebrate Matariki in different ways. In the past, it was a time to:
- Finish storing up food for the winter.
- Create new woven clothes and baskets.
- Remember our ancestors and listen to old tribal stories.
- Learn about the natural world.
- Learn to play string games.
- Celebrate the coming year.
- Make, decorate and fly kites.
Some things we might do now at Matariki include:
- Have a celebration with friends and whānau.
- Learn or do some weaving.
- Learn about stars and see Matariki through a telescope.
- Talk to people in our family about our family history and stories.
- Fly kites.
- Watch kapa haka performances.
- Learn about Māori myths and culture.
- Give respect to the whenua (land) on which we live.
- Learn more about how we can care for our Mother Earth Papatūānuku
The library has lots of free events at Matariki.
Matariki stories
There are many different stories about Matariki.
One is that Matariki is a mother with her six daughters around her. Another is that the god Tāwhirimātea was angry that the Sky (Ranginui) and the Earth (Papatūānuku) were separated and tore out his eyes and threw them into the sky to comfort Ranginui. Other countries also have their own stories about these stars.
Now that you have learned a little about Matariki — why don’t you take our quiz and see how well you can do!
Matariki traditions
- Kites
- Kites were seen as connectors between heaven and earth, and were often flown at this event, especially on the first day of the New Year.
- Food and kai
- Preparing a meal for friends and whanau is traditional at Matariki.
- Whakapapa
- We focus on our whakapapa, our family history, during Matariki.
- Weaving
- You can make lots of different things if you learn a little bit about weaving. Learn how to make a star or a putiputi (flower)
- Stars and space
- Matariki is all about watching the stars and learning about them. You can take a trip to the stars with our space explorer!
Matariki resources
- Books about Matariki
- Events at our libraries for Matariki
- Matariki — our heritage page
- Matariki — includes information about how other cultures recognise Matariki.
Online resources
About Matariki- Simple information about Matariki from Tai Tokerau.
- How to find Matariki
- This page gives you simple ways to find Matariki in the sky.
- Matariki activity page
- From Korero Maori, the online home of Te Reo. Includes Matariki activities, puzzles and sayings.
- Matariki booklet
- This booklet was published in 2001 by The Māori Language Commission to provide information and ideas about Matariki and how to celebrate it.
- Matariki in Te Ara, the Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
- Includes audio and video resources.
- Matariki waiata
- Listen to a waiata about Matariki.
- Picture of Matariki (Pleiades)
- Picture from the NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day archive.
- Te Huihui o Matariki / The Seven Stars of Matariki
- Watch author Toni Rolleston-Cummins read her book The Seven Stars of Matariki at Wellington City Libraries. Available in English and Te Reo.
- WickED Matariki
- Find Matariki in the night sky and explore a traditional Māori kāinga.