Kia Rite - Time to Act : Matariki reconnected us to the environment

Matariki Mahuika / Home Fires brought people together to do something joyful with the remnants of something painful, says Pippa McKelvie Sebileau.

Basic science tells us that for the climate, those Matariki fires were a bad idea.

Burning wood releases greenhouse gas pollution into the air, more so usually than for the same amount of heat by oil or gas. The fires contributed to the ever-growing level of atmospheric carbon dioxide – currently sitting around 420 parts per million; well over the “safe for humanity” levels of 350 parts per million.

The fires even released a fair amount of methane into the skies above our Te-Matau-a-Maui. Yip, those fires on the beaches release the same powerful heating gas as burping cows.

But, here’s the thing if you’re still reading after that barrage of scientific facts, social science tells us they were a fantastic idea.

Matariki Mahuika / Home Fires brought people together to do something joyful with the remnants of something painful. Fires were made all along our beaches with the driftwood deposited by Cyclone Gabrielle.

The event encouraged us all to meet with family, meet with friends and meet new friends. To sit quietly, contemplating the glowing embers and thinking of loved ones who have passed.

With the sound of the crackling embers, the waves breaking on the beach, and the kids as back-up vocalists laughing as they got sticky marshmallow on their fingers, that particular symphony begged us to reflect on what has been a year.

Coming together around the fires connected us. Connected us to the land, to Te Taiao and reminded us just how lucky we are to live in this region of vast rolling hills, beaches and rivers and stunning coastlines. Not to mention that by celebrating Matariki Mahuika, all New Zealanders, new, old, and older, got to connect with traditions of a people who knew how to prioritise Te Taiao and how to live in balance with our natural systems.

The glow of the embers called us to look up for the glow of the stars, to ask each other who knew how to find the Matariki cluster? And who was Tupu-ā-rangi again?

On that pure Hawke’s Bay night that last Saturday offered us, we looked up and marvelled at the wonder of this world. And some of us pondered the thought – what can we do to keep it this way?

When we consider whether events are good or bad for the climate, we need to be nuanced and holistic in our evaluations.

Transitioning to lower our emissions is hard, but we’re not alone going through this. Europeans are melting under heatwaves that surpass rational understanding with tourists collapsing on the stairs of the Colosseum and the Acropolis shut to protect tourists from heat.

The world is getting serious about the need to reduce planet-warming gases.

Decisions about reducing emissions aren’t easy and we need to connect with others to believe that we can slow this thing down. Connect to live more meaningfully, with more resilience.

We need a human response to the human-created climate problem. We need more humanity-promoting nature-connecting events like Matariki Mahuika.

Ngā mihi nui to the organisers and all those who joined in.

Pippa McKelvie Sebileau, Climate Action Ambassador, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

Get in touch: climateaction@hbrc.govt.nz