In the hours before dawn on Friday’s crisp winter morning, thousands of New Zealanders rose in the dark, donned woollen hats and scarves and ventured outdoors to scan the eastern horizon for the appearance of a cluster of stars.
For many, it marked only the first or second time they had participated in the observance of Matariki – an annual celebration with a long history for the country’s Māori people, but a relatively brief one for most others in Aotearoa.
Often referred to as the Māori lunar new year, the festival of Matariki marks the mid-winter rising period of its namesake constellation – commonly known as the Pleiades – and signifies a time of beginnings and endings, coming together, remembrance of the dead, and traditionally, the planning of crops and planting.
So far, the public face of the holiday has been preoccupied with star-gazing. But as Matariki comes to prominence in New Zealand society – bolstered by its status, since 2022, as a legally enshrined public holiday – Māori leaders say they are hopeful the country can learn more of the celebration’s ancient roots, in which the positions of the moon and stars are the foundation for understanding almost every aspect of the natural world.
