Matariki

Matariki is an ancient festival for Māori, and is also known as the Māori New Year. It is celebrated every winter when the seven-star constellation, ‘Matariki’ (also known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters) appears in the dawn sky. The dates for Matariki change every year around the mid-winter moon cycle, but it’s usually around late May to mid July. In 2023, we are celebrating Matariki with a public holiday on Friday 14 July.

Matariki is also celebrated in wider New Zealand culture, with Pākeha also learning the significance of this time, and it is a part of our pre-school and primary school curriculum.

So even if Matariki is not something you’re familiar with, Matariki is an opportunity for families of faith to learn more about and celebrate the goodness of our God. Families reflect on the people who have gone before them (their tipuna), and reflect on the beginnings and endings. The appearance of the group of stars reminded people to start preparing their gardens to plan their crops, and give thanks for the food we have stored and preserved. It is a time to share ideas, to remember the past and celebrate the future.

It is the LORD who created the stars, the Pleiades and Orion.
He turns darkness into morning and day into night.
He draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land
Amos 5:8

Resources

Useful Websites

Kiwi Families Matariki
Matariki Teachers’ Resource (Christchurch Libraries)
Matariki Classroom Resources (Te Papa)
Matariki at Messy Church (Messy Church NZ)

Scripture Union New Zealand

Scripture Union have two great pages on their website for Matariki - page 1 here and page 2 here.
SUNZ Matatiki 2017 Resource Ideas

Presbyterian Church
Our friends in the Presbyterian Church have some great resources listed on their Kids Friendly website. Some of our favourites include:

Te reo to learn