Tomorrow, Aotearoa New Zealand will officially commemorate Matariki with a public holiday for the first time.
The midwinter rise of the Matariki star cluster, also known as the Pleiades, marks the start of a new year for many Māori. Starting tomorrow, a public holiday marking Matariki will be held in June or July each year.
The official recognition makes it the first reintroduced Indigenous holiday in the world, according to the research of astronomy professor and Matariki campaigner Professor Rangi Mātāmua of Massey University.
Wake up early enough this week and you should be able to spot Matariki. 1News explains how to spot the iconic star cluster.
Waatea News reports that tomorrow morning may be your best chance to view the star cluster before cloudy conditions settle in over the weekend.
The NZ Herald and Te Rito cadets have joined together to create this seven-part animation series following a young kotiro and her Nan, as the older woman shares mātauranga Māori, teaching her moko about the stars.
A NZ Herald interactive also allows people to click a star to hear the stories of Matariki, voiced by Stacey and Scotty Morrison.
The Spinoff profiles Professor Rangi Mātāmua, whose work over the last 20 years researching the tikanga of Matariki and the different ways it has been celebrated across Aotearoa over time has culminated in two books on the subject.
Professor Mātāmua also spoke with RNZ about the history of the star cluster, and how its appearance is celebrated and acknowledged across the globe including in South and North America, Asia and Africa.
Over at Newshub, Māori astronomer Victoria Campbell spoke to what Matariki symbolises, and The Spinoff offers tips for how to celebrate if you don’t know where to start.
A first-of-its-kind broadcasting collaboration, Celebrate Matariki – Mānawatia a Matariki, will mark Matariki tomorrow in a five-hour show carried by all major Aotearoa broadcasters.
Matariki coverage:
Finding Matariki: How to spot the iconic star cluster – 1News
Weather should allow Matariki glimpse – Waatea News
Matariki 2022: Tuhūratia ngā Mata o te Ariki, story of the stars, chapter 1: Matariki – NZ Herald
Interactive: The story and meaning of the Matariki stars – NZ Herald
The humble superstar of Matariki – The Spinoff
Matariki’s key elements remembrance, celebrating and planning, Māori astronomer says – RNZ
Māori astronomer Victoria Campbell on what Matariki symbolises – Newshub
Mānawatia a Matariki! Tips for how to celebrate if you don’t know where to start – The Spinoff