Ka mahuta a Matariki ki te pae,
Ka mahuta o tatou tumanako ki te tau.
"Mānawatia a Matariki"
When Matariki rises above the horizon,
our aspirations rise to the year ahead.
Let us celebrate, honour and welcome Matariki
I specifically acknowledge:
- Professor Dame Jane Harding
- Dr Brent Clothier and Penny Clothier
- Professor Bruce Arroll and Christine Reynolds
- His Worship the Far North Mayor Moko Tepania, attending with Councillor of the Far North District Council Tamati Rākena and his wife Judith Campbell
- Mr Joe Harawira, Government House Kaumatua
- Ms Puawahine Tibble, Government House Kuia
- Rewi Spraggon, our renowned Hangi Master who along with our wonderful chefs and Front of House team have prepared this amazing spread; and also to our
- Performers - Dr Jeremy Mayall, Rob Thorne and Tui-Eilish Tahere-Katene
And to you all our honoured guests, thank you for entering the ballot to be part of this year’s Matariki celebrations here at Government House in Wellington. This House belongs to all New Zealanders, and we are delighted to welcome people who have come here tonight from across Aotearoa New Zealand.
First, it is my privilege to share a Matariki message from His Majesty King Charles:
E mihi ana ki a Matariki mā Puanga.
My wife and I send our warmest greetings to all those in Aotearoa New Zealand celebrating Matariki, the Māori New Year. This year, I particularly acknowledge those iwi and regions that look to the star Puanga, or Rigel, to signal the New Year.
The rising of Matariki and Puanga on the Eastern horizon heralds a time to reflect on the past, to remember absent loved ones and to prepare for a prosperous future. It also marks a time where many different peoples and communities come together in celebration, united under the same night sky.
Regardless of how, or whether, one marks the lunar calendar, this moment offers an opportunity to learn and share knowledge, and to embrace the diverse traditions that shape Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique identity.
I wish you all a bright year ahead.
Mānawatia a Matariki Matariki is our newest public holiday, and it represents a wonderful opportunity to share the unique culture of Aotearoa and celebrate our place in the world.
Matariki is New Year in Maramataka, the time-keeping system of iwi Māori – where the 12 months are based on the cycles of the moon. The Matariki holiday is linked to the first new moon to follow the re-appearance of the Matariki stars in the Eastern skies.
New Year is a time when we reflect on the highs and lows of the past year. It’s a time of fellowship, where we celebrate whanaungatanga and the sharing of food from the earth, rivers and oceans. And it’s a time to look forward, thinking about the year ahead, and what we would like to achieve.
This year Matariki has a special theme: Matariki mā Puanga, which acknowledges that for some iwi Māori in Aotearoa, New Year is signalled by the arrival of Puanga, the brightest star in the Orion constellation. This year’s celebrations also acknowledge a diversity of Matariki traditions in Aotearoa – as in some regions, seven Matariki stars are clearly visible – whereas in others, including here in Wellington, we can see nine.
This year’s Matariki theme embraces and celebrates diversity – which makes it perfect for tonight’s gathering of people – who may not have had occasion to come to Government House before. Whatever our background, Matariki is bringing us together in community tonight.
I hope that as you enjoy sharing the kai from our hangi pit in Government House grounds, you will also enjoy reflecting about what Matariki represents in the world view of Māori.
A fundamental concept is that human beings are part of te taio – the natural world. Iwi Māori benefited from centuries of observation and experience about how to live in this natural world, and this is something that we acknowledge at this time of the year especially.
Over time, a shared understanding developed about the most reliable and productive times in which to plant crops and gather food from streams, rivers, the ocean and the forests formed. That body of knowledge – matauranga Māori – was essential to survival, and was so reliable that hapu could provide plentiful quantities of food for hakari – or communal feasts.
The moon and the stars were part of that story, signalling when certain activities should commence. For example, Matariki was considered a good time to hunt kereru and store them in their fat. We don’t do this anymore needless to say. The level of brightness of two particular Matariki stars indicated the strength of wind and rain in the months ahead.
The Matariki stars were also used by Polynesian navigators on their voyages across the Pacific and continue to guide seafarers who are replicating those voyages today.
As the cosmologist Carl Sagan famously said, we are all made of star stuff. The carbon, nitrogen and oxygen atoms in our bodies were created in stars billions of years ago.
Māori traditionally believed that our loved ones return to the firmament when they die, under the protection of Pohutukawa, one of the Matariki stars. During Matariki, we scan the heavens and honour the memory of people who are no longer with us. And our dreams and aspirations for the future can be directed to another Matariki star, Hiwa-i-te-Rangi.
My wish to Hiwa-i-te-Rangi is that Matariki will encourage New Zealanders to pause and reflect about their relationship with the natural world, and resolve to tread lightly on the earth, to care for our rivers and oceans, and learn to live with the planet – to learn from matauranga Māori, from the tohu of the taiao – the signs of the environment. There is so much to learn that will help us with food security, protection of biodiversity and restoration of healthy ecosystems.
As Maramataka expert Ral Makiha notes, we can learn to look for the hononga – how one thing supports another in the natural world. He speaks about how the old people could tell exactly when the pohutukawa would flower, which would coincide with a certain wind at a certain time of that month, and a particular tidal pattern that would bring fish eggs ashore for gathering.
Matariki is becoming a portal to such ancestral systems and knowledge associated with Maramataka, and it is gratifying to see more and more people reclaiming and utilising this wisdom.
My wish to Hiwa-i-te-Rangi is also that Matariki gatherings will build a greater sense of community and connections between New Zealanders, inspired by a kaupapa that promotes aroha – love and respect; whakamaumaharatanga – remembrance; kotahitanga – unity; and tohatoha – sharing.
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa i te wa nei o Matariki.
Please enjoy the manaakitanga of the House, the company of your fellow guests and the special Matariki hakari prepared by our team. Pomarie.