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20 Jun 2024
Rāmere 28 Pipiri (Friday 28 June) marks the third year of Matariki being recognised as a public holiday in Aotearoa. Te Mātahi o te Tau (the new year) is all about honouring and remembering our loved ones that we’ve lost since the last rising of Matariki and celebrating the present – gathering together and looking to the future and the promise of the new year.
At Te Ao Rangahau, we’re on a journey to embrace Te Ao Māori (Māori worldview) into the engineering profession. Which is why we believe it’s so important that Matariki is recognised, understood and celebrated.
Engineers work with whenua (land), wai (water), and ngā rangi (skies). Learn about the stars of Matariki and their engineering connection below. We encourage you to think about how your mahi interacts with these environments.
The 9 stars of Matariki
The Matariki star cluster contains hundreds of stars, but only nine are visible to the naked eye. Each of these nine stars has a distinct story and significance in Māori culture.
According to one Māori myth, the cluster represents a whaea or mother – Matariki – and her six daughters Tupuānuku, Tupuārangi, Waipunarangi, Waitī, Waitā and Ururangi.
In Aotearoa, our people are all different. But during Matariki, it’s an opportunity for us to cluster together and rise as one. Matariki ahunga nui — bringing all walks of life together to celebrate as one.
Matariki
![2023 Matariki_Web_2](https://d2rjvl4n5h2b61.cloudfront.net/media/images/2023_Matariki_Web_2.width-800.jpg)
Matariki represents reflection, hope, our connection to the environment, and the gathering of people. Matariki is also connected to the health and wellbeing of people.
Waitī
![2023 Matariki_Web_3](https://d2rjvl4n5h2b61.cloudfront.net/media/images/2023_Matariki_Web_3.width-800.jpg)
Waitī is associated with all freshwater bodies and the food sources that are sustained by those waters.
Waitā
![2023 Matariki_Web_4](https://d2rjvl4n5h2b61.cloudfront.net/media/images/2023_Matariki_Web_4.width-800.jpg)
Waitā is associated with the ocean, and food sources within it.
Waipuna-ā-rangi
![2023 Matariki_Web_5](https://d2rjvl4n5h2b61.cloudfront.net/media/images/2023_Matariki_Web_5.width-800.jpg)
Waipuna-ā-rangi is associated with the rain.
Tupuānuku
![2023 Matariki_Web_6](https://d2rjvl4n5h2b61.cloudfront.net/media/images/2023_Matariki_Web_6.width-800.jpg)
Tupuānuku is the star associated with everything that grows within the soil to be harvested or gathered for food.
Tupuārangi
![2023 Matariki_Web_7](https://d2rjvl4n5h2b61.cloudfront.net/media/images/2023_Matariki_Web_7.width-800.jpg)
Tupuārangi is associated with everything that grows up in the trees: fruits, berries, and birds.
Ururangi
![2023 Matariki_Web_8](https://d2rjvl4n5h2b61.cloudfront.net/media/images/2023_Matariki_Web_8.width-800.jpg)
Ururangi is the star associated with the winds.
Pōhutukawa
![2023 Matariki_Web_9](https://d2rjvl4n5h2b61.cloudfront.net/media/images/2023_Matariki_Web_9.width-800.jpg)
Pōhutukawa is the star associated with those that have passed on.
Hiwa-i-te-rangi
![2023 Matariki_Web_10](https://d2rjvl4n5h2b61.cloudfront.net/media/images/2023_Matariki_Web_10.width-800.jpg)
Hiwa-i-te-rangi is the star associated with granting our wishes and realising our aspirations for the coming year.
Definitions are sourced from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Check out their Matariki resources for further learning.
How can we celebrate Matariki?
Remembering those who have gone before us
Matariki is about remembrance – honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki. Take a moment and think about those people that have impacted you. Māori often call out to the star cluster, the names of loved ones they’ve lost since the last Matariki, to farewell them a final time as they become a star in the sky.
Shut down the old year and welcome in the new
It’s a great time to reflect on what you’ve achieved throughout the year, and to think about what you’re going to do in the coming year – in particular, how have you positively impacted your community and environment? Reflect on what you’ve achieved over the year and set some goals for the future.
Find an event near you and your whānau
Matariki is a time to gather together, and there are plenty of celebratory events happening across the motu. Find events near you.
How to find the Matariki star cluster
Educator Hauiti Gardiner shows you how to find the Matariki star cluster during the Māori New Year.
Using the correct terms to celebrate Matariki
If you’re looking for a way to articulate the Matariki celebration, then you should say ‘Mānawatia a Matariki’. This new phrase was developed by Professor Rangi Mātāmua and Hēmi Kelly.
“Matariki doesn’t come out of a western context, it’s Māori” Rangi says,“so if you’re trying to apply a greeting to the Matariki celebration where you say hari (happy) Matariki or meri (merry) Matariki – it doesn’t make sense.”
Rangi and Hēmi developed the phrase Mānawatia a Matariki – meaning to honour, acknowledge, and welcome in Matariki. “It’s important that if we’re going to celebrate something that comes out of a Māori context, we use the correct terms and the correct language around the celebration.”
Want to learn more about what’s being done to embed Te Ao Māori into the engineering profession?
Check out Kimihia Rangahaua – our strategy designed to embed Te Ao Māori into our work, our organisation and the profession.
This article was originally published July 2023 and was last updated June 2024.