Matariki Celebrations

3 June 2015

Matariki is the Maori name for a group of seven stars known as the Pleiades star cluster. Some people think of Matariki as a mother star with six daughters, and it is also often referred to as the Seven Sisters.

Matariki has two meanings, both of which refer to the cluster of stars. Mata Riki means Tiny Eyes, and Mata Ariki means Eyes of God.

In years gone by, Matariki was thought to determine your crop for the coming season, and therefore it was important to recognise the part it played in nature’s cycle. The disappearance of Matariki in Autumn, signalled the time to gather and preserve crops, and so was an important marker in the harvest calendar.

Nowadays, Matariki is seen as an important time to celebrate the earth, and show respect for the land on which we live.

Traditionally Matariki was celebrated by gathering with whanau (family) and reflecting on the past. The festival’s connection to the stars provided an opportunity for families to remember their whakapapa (genealogy), and those ancestors who had passed on to the heavens. Some people celebrate the New Year on the day the new moon rises, and others celebrate on the day after the new moon. 

This year our school has planned a variety of activities to celebrate Matariki:

Wednesday 24 June - preparation for our Hangi Fundraiser

Thursday 25 June - raranga (flax weaving), koru design, manu 

  tukutuku (kites), soap carving and waiata 

Friday 3 July - trip to the Aotea Centre to participate   in a performing arts programme.

We welcome you to join us on this day and maybe share some of your expertise or interests with our tamariki.

Hangi Fundraiser for our School Murals

As part of our Matariki Celebration this year Matua Wiki has kindly offered to support our school with a Hangi Fundraiser for our School Murals. There will be a limit of 60 tickets at $12.00 each, and our children will receive a free hangi on the day.

To help support this we are asking each family to bring one of the following items - 

one whole pumpkin, or one whole cabbage, or one 10 kg bag of potatoes, or one 5 kg bag of kumura, or one 5 kg bag of onions, or five loaves of bread.  

Please inform Kaye what you are able to provide, to ensure we have enough variety.

All items to be delivered to the school on Monday 22 June please.