Matariki

Long, long ago there were the seven sister stars and they only come out once a year. Children and adults at Waterloo School, other schools and, all over Aotearoa celebrate Matariki.

Matariki – The Maori New Year
Matariki is a special time in Aotearoa for many people to celebrate.
Matariki, the beautiful blue star cluster known as the Pleiades star cluster is usually seen in the dawn sky at the end of May or the beginning of June. The rise of the star cluster marks the beginning of the Aotearoa Pacific New Year according to the lunar calendar.
Matariki celebrations usually start when the first new moon after Matariki has risen. Some iwi start celebrating when Matariki is first seen, but it is usually the first new moon after Matariki that starts the Maori New Year, this will be around the 10th of June.

Matariki has two common English translations:

• mata riki or 'tiny eyes'
• mata ariki or 'eyes of god'.

But while there are two translations, for Maori there is only one universal theme of Matariki. This is the beginning of a new life cycle, and the celebration of the traditional Maori New Year.

Matariki – A Celebration

During Matariki we celebrate our unique place in the world.
We give respect to the whenua on which we live,
and admiration to our mother earth Papatūānuku.
Throughout Matariki we learn about those who came before us.
Our history. Our family. Our bones.
Matariki signals growth.
It’s a time of change.
It’s a time to prepare, and a time of action.
During Matariki we acknowledge what we have
and what we have to give.
Matariki celebrates the diversity of life.
It’s a celebration of culture, language, spirit and people.
Matariki is our
Aotearoa Pacific New Year.

We collected the following information from this website Manatū Taonga

Kupu mo Matariki Useful Matariki terms

By Latoya Year 4