Matariki Events to Attend this Winter 2021
The Māori New Year has always been celebrated with the rising of the Matariki constellation on the Eastern horizon. This year, the star cluster also known as Pleiades, sets on 2 Pipiri/June and rises on 2 to 5 Takurua/July, seeing a whole raft of special performances and events around the country pay homage to these new lunar beginnings. A time for reflection and also the signalling of Hine Takura, the Winter maiden having taken residence upon the land. Alongside the festivities, we can also look forward to a uniquely New Zealand public holiday falling on 24 June next year in recognition of Matariki and Te Ao Māori.
Feast Matariki 2021, Auckland
Feast Matariki is the brainchild of Eat New Zealand, which is Aotearoa’s very own national food celebration, drawing together growers, fishers, chefs, story-tellers and many others with a passion for showcasing and celebrating our original and indigenous food stories. Running from 21 June to 8 July, highlights include Modern Matariki Hāngi with Joe McLeod in Te Whanganui a Tara/Wellington Botanic Gardens, Puanga Matariki Hakari at Ahi Restaurant in Auckland, comprising a long lunch collaboration between Ben Bayly and Hāngi Master Rewi Spraggon, and a spectacular Matariki Stellar nine-course degustation at Aoraki/Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat under the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, offering an innovative dining experience matched with each of the stars in the Matarikio constellation.
eatnewzealand.nz/feast-matariki
Matariki, Bay of Islands
The Bay of Islands Matariki Festival runs from 2 to 11 July, offering over 20 free and ticketed events across one of Aotearoa’s most culturally significant regions. Highlights include Matariki Dawn Cruises by Fullers Great Sights, rāranga (weaving) and rongoā (traditional medicine) workshops, a fun new event in The Manu Masters for those keen to brave the cold waters and display their Manu booming skills from Russell Wharf, and Tohunga Tumau, a special culinary experience featuring a stellar lineup of Māori master chefs such as Hangi Master, Rewi Spraggon, Grant Kitchen, Tu Fearn and Tama Salive, presenting a four-course menu of indigenous kai hosted at Duke of Marlborough Hotel.
Matariki – Te Tau Hou Māori, Rotorua
Roroturanui, Rotorua is ringing in Matariki with some super-fun free events that are perfect for the family, including story-telling, dancing and singing for young ones at Rotorua Library, a celebration of local growers and traditional kai at the Rotorua Farmers’ Market, decorating your bikes with lights for an exciting night ride at the spectacular Redwood Forest, and some special exhibitions as well as talks on each of the seven stars of the constellation.
Tīrama Mai, Christchurch
Ōtautahi, Christchurch is celebrating Matariki with their inaugural Tīrama Mai event from 25 June to 10 July at locations in the central city and the seaside suburb of New Brighton. Meaning “to bring light”, the two-week light show festivities will include innovative lighting installations and trails, projections and illuminated artworks by some of the region’s best lighting artists, a lantern-lit family Matariki Night Walk beside Pūharakekenui Styx River and Hagley Park’s tenth annual Matariki Night Light Bike Ride. The festivities conclude with a fireworks display in New Brighton.
Matariki Festival 2021, Auckland
From June 19 to July 11, Tāmaki Makaurau celebrates the Māori New Year with a Matariki Festival programme to celebrate kotahitanga (coming together) and the arts and culture of the city, brimming with more than 90 events happening across the region suitable for all ages. The festival will open with a Matariki Dawn Karakia at Takaparawhau/Bastion Point with other highlights including a brand new Vector Lights for Matariki Festival show on the Auckland Harbour Bridge, kite-flying for Manu Aute Kite Day in Ōrākei and Puketāpapa, and the Te Korakora on Takutai concert held in Takutai Square headlined by Ria Hall (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui).
Matariki 2021, Wellington
The capital celebrates Matariki from 2 to 20 July with a unique series of live and digital events, showcasing some of the best Māori talent in storytellers, artists and performers. The Māori New Year traditions of Matariki and Ahi Kā (home fires) can be explored with an augmented reality app allowing revellers to point their phone at the sky to locate the Matariki constellation or at the ground to light their own virtual bonfires to celebrate Ahi Kā. Key events not to miss include Ahi Kā Wellington Waterfront for ahi (fire), kai (food), storytelling, waiata (song) and live entertainment over two evenings, Mana Moana Digital Ocean, an immersive water screen display at Whairepo Lagoon bringing together more than 20 leading Māori and Pasifika artists, and the 2021 Matariki Fireworks display finale within Wellington Harbour.
Puaka Matariki Festival, Dunedin
Ōtepoti Dunedin rings in the Māori New Year from 2 to 16 July with a citywide programme of shared feasts, educational programmes and digital events hosted by the city’s galleries, libraries, archives and museums, as well as a series of Mātauraka Māori science lectures and Toi Māori visual arts, music and dance performance events.
Top image credit: Maki Yanagimachi / Earth and Sky
