FNDC elected members undertook a special wānanga [workshop] with Maramataka expert Matua Rereata Makiha last week.
FNDC elected members undertook a special wānanga [workshop] with Maramataka expert Matua Rereata Makiha last week.
In an historic move, the Far North District Council will soon become the first council to implement Maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar, as part of its yearly planning.
The decision forms part of a larger kaupapa [policy] to integrate more mātauranga Māori throughout the council, led by the district’s new mayor, Moko Tepania.
Elected members were taken through a wānanga [workshop] last week with esteemed Maramataka expert Matua Rereata Makiha, who explained the significance of the Māori lunar calendar and the traditional beliefs centred around the benefits of following the moon cycles.
Mayor Tepania said the Maramataka was nothing new to him - he’d used the four-weekly planning cycle during his time as a kaiako [teacher] at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Kaikohe.
He said he felt using the Māori lunar calendar would be helpful, particularly with regard to understanding what days were better (or not) for performing certain tasks.
“I remember times we’ve had meetings where people would go head-to-head, and when I looked at the timing, it would always fall on days that didn’t align well with the Maramataka,” Tepania said.
“I think we probably are the first council or government organisation to actually use Maramataka, but it’s something our kura have been using for some time.
“It’s nothing new. This is how our tūpuna used to plan their activities around the best times to fish, to plant - it’s understanding the best way to work with, rather than against, our environment.”
Tepania said he was pleased with how open-minded elected members and staff had been in trying a new way of doing things, and felt it was an exciting time for the council and region moving forward.
The Far North mayor said it was a great privilege to have the “godfather” of the Maramataka present to the council and to act as a korowai [cloak] to guide them on this new journey.
“I’m so excited that everyone understands we’re all on the same waka [canoe] together,” Tepania said.
“This is not about me just doing something cool because I’m mayor; it’s because I want to implement meaningful change.
“I envision this becoming a normal part of the council, normalising and revitalising the way our tūpuna used to do things.
“This forms part of a change in culture I want to see throughout the council, so we need to start by modelling that from the top.”
Makiha (Ngāti Whakaheke, Te Aupōuri, Te Arawa), from the Hokianga, is a leading authority on Maramataka, a world-renowned Māori astrologer and expert in traditional food planting, harvesting practices and kōrero tuku iho (Māori history) handed down through the generations.
The esteemed kaumātua explained that he understood some people may be sceptical, but was hopeful the knowledge would have a flow-on effect on how the council worked with its communities.
Matua Rereata Makiha, a leading authority on Maramataka, goes through the seasons and how they relate to the Māori lunar calendar.
“I don’t know if this will make many changes in Council initially, but I understand they want to align their meeting dates to suit the most productive days, which is good,” Makiha said.
“While I think it’s good the council is doing this, I’m more excited about the impact of this going into our kura, our primary schools, and about the community taking this up.
“It’s taken so long for us to finally get recognition for the Matariki/Puanga holiday and to get our tūpuna kōrero [ancestors’ stories] to the general public, so I’m hoping it won’t take that long to get our tuku iho about Maramataka out there to help our communities with the restoration of our environment.”
The Maramataka will be adopted as part of FNDC’s final formal meeting on December 15, which will also confirm all council committees and structures for the next triennium.
Tepania said one of the key changes to come for the council was the implementation of a new Māori-focused standing committee, which he said was already being used in other councils around the country.
“Previously, I was the sole councillor for the portfolio called Te Āo Māori, but it’s not up to our Māori ward councillors to take on all of that role - it’s up to all of us, if we are to fulfil our obligations under the Local Government Act and commitments to Te Tiriti o Waitangi,” Tepania said.
“At my pōwhiri for becoming mayor, every iwi of the Far North came and said they were going to work with the council, and it’s up to us to ensure that partnership remains strong and [that it is] working proactively, not reactively.
“The reforms coming from central government are potentially going to be a game-changer for us as an organisation, so we have to be ready for it as it comes.
“That means taking community along the way with us, including our iwi and hapū partners.”
Maramataka explained
(Source: Te Papa)
The Māori lunar calendar, or Maramataka, means “the turning of the moon” and marks the phases of the moon in a lunar month.
According to Te Papa museum, each night - which also typically marks a day - was given a name, and over time, each day/night was accompanied by information guiding fishing, gardening, and other activities in the natural world.
During a typical lunar month, some days were noted as being favourable for resource harvesting, whereas other days are known to be unfavourable.
A typical lunar month cycle lasts for 29.53 days. Each night carries a name according to the Maramataka. For example, Whiro is the first night of the new moon, Tirea is the second night, and so on until Mutuwhenua, the last night.
The cycle starts again with the appearance of the next new moon, with Whiro, Tirea, and so on.
The names for the days of the lunar month have been taken from the Maramataka of a number of iwi.
The differences are only in the sequence of the phases. As many names were similar, the Māori Language Commission decided to use those employed by the majority.
