Katikati Matariki dawn service a community collaboration

The Katikati community gathered for Matariki 2023.

In celebration of Matariki, Te Rūnanga o Ngai Tamawhariua, Katch Katikati, Katikati Community Centre, Project Parore, Western Bay Museum Te Rereatukahia Marae, Katikati Red Cross and Katikati Rotary Club are hosting a dawn service to reflect on the past, celebrate the present and prepare for the future.

Matariki marks the start of the Māori New Year, signified by the Matariki cluster of stars reappearing in the night sky. It is a time to remember those who have passed away, a time where thanks are given, a time to nurture the earth, sky and bodies of water for the future.

The community of Katikati will have the opportunity to celebrate the Māori New Year again, after last year’s successful Matariki Dawn Service.

Community members will be able to gather along Park Rd on Friday before dawn breaks and can proceed along the reserve footpath to a marquee with seating and heating.

The marquee will be placed at the highest point of the reserve on an ancient fortified pā site of Ngāi Te Rangi, allowing attendees to look out onto the Tauranga Harbour and a good view of the Matariki cluster.

A special Matariki dawn service will be held this Friday. From left, Paula Gaelic from Western Bay Museum, Valarie Uilou from Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tamawhariua, Jacqui Knight from Katch Katikati and Donna Hannah from Katikati Community Centre. Photo / Brodie Davis

Those who attend the celebration will be treated to commentary on how to view and identify the cluster, and what these stars mean individually.

Committee member Kylie Watkins from Katch Katikati says it’s a chance to come together, be unified and to share this intimate moment around the importance of the Māori New Year.

“It marks the inaugural gathering and a special opportunity for our community to unite and discover the significance of Matariki.”

The Tauranga Western Bay Community Event Fund (TWBCEF) supported the festival with a $12,000 community event grant. The fund is a partnership between local funders Acorn Foundation, BayTrust, TECT, Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

Attendees will also be treated to kapa haka, setting goal intentions and aspirations for the year ahead, as well as warm beverages and refreshments before a pōhutukawa tree is planted, acknowledging past, present and future togetherness, giving us all a chance to celebrate new beginnings for the Māori New Year.

The Details

What: Katikati Matariki Dawn Service

Where: Park Rd Reserve, Katikati (there is a free bus at 4.30am from Katikati Primary School)

When: June 28. Gathering from 4.30am, starts at 5am