Kia ora koutou katoa. On Friday 24 June, Aotearoa (New Zealand), will celebrate Matariki - the Māori New Year - as a public holiday for the first time.

Matariki refers to a cluster of stars that appear in the night sky in midwinter, representing the end of the Māori lunar year and the start of a new one, signalling hope and new beginnings. 

Mātauranga Māori (ancestral knowledge and wisdom) is at the heart of celebrations of the Matariki public holiday and is a time for:

• Remembrance - Honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki
• Celebrating the present - Gathering together to give thanks for what we have
• Looking to the future - Looking forward to the promise of a new year

 Hear from our Kotohutohu Māori Strategic Relations Advisor, Rick Steedman, as he tells us the story of Matariki.
 
Ngā mihi.