‘It’s our New Year’: A Matariki Panel featuring three innovative Toi Māori stars

As Aotearoa prepares itself to celebrate the official Matariki holiday RNZ’s Culture 101 takes a tour across the country to check in on how three leading figures in Toi Māori’s are celebrating. 

Cian Elyse White (Ngāti Pikiao/ Ngāti Te Tākinga) is the founding director of Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival in Rotorua. She says every Iwi has its own methodologies and practises to carry out. 

“Here in Te Arawa we acknowledge Matariki our new year during the rising in a moon phase called Tangaroa. From the 28th through until about the 1st of July”. 

In Waikato, celebrations started earlier than most on the 14th of June to align with King Koroki Te Rata Mahuta Tāwhiao Pōtatau Te Wherowhero’s birthday. 

Waimihi Hotere (Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Maniapoto), the Kaihautū of Matariki Ki Waikato Festival Director explains why Matariki is celebrated on these dates. 

“This is because of King Koroki’s birthday and Matariki was viewed above Waahi Paa when he was born.  People are often like… ‘wow why are you starting so early’ and there's a really good reason for that. In Waikato we celebrate Te Paki-o-Matariki and you will see that on the Kingitanga flag and so when we do that it is a direct connection to our Kingitanga and those that have gone the years before us”. 

At the arts centre observatory tower Dr Areta Wilkinson (Kai Tahu) has been leading a  group of artists in Ōtautahi developing a special exhibition which has opened in time for Matariki.

Te Waiatatanga Mai o te Atua borrows its name from an ancient manuscript written by Ngāi Tahu leader, Matiaha Tiramōrehu.

Wilkinson harvests  local materials from the Waimakariri River to embrace stone age traditions handed down from her tupuna.  She teaches her stone hammering technique to students interested in making wearable pendants during Matariki.

 The three artists tell Culture 101’s Maggie Tweedie about the special events they have planned to celebrate the Maori New Year with their iwi.  From a special one-of-a-kind drone light show on the Rotorua Lakefront on June 27 and June 28, to unique Taonga pūoro compositions and Wilkinson’s Toro Atua, a new major public artwork in Rolleston’s centre adorned with sparkling stainless steel.