Mārere Smith with Ngā Roma Poa from Te Toki Voyaging Trust. Photo / Warren Buckland
Mārere Smith with Ngā Roma Poa from Te Toki Voyaging Trust. Photo / Warren Buckland
Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust is encouraging tamariki to connect with the taiao (environment) through their ancestors' knowledge of the stars.
The trust uses Te Ātea a Rangi (The Celestial Star Compass) in Waitangi Regional Park, to teach traditional navigation, and the park is the location of several events that celebrate Ngā Tohu o te Tau Hau (The Signs of the New Year) this week.
The star compass Ātea a Rangi symbolises the navigational skills of early Maori. Photo / Warren Buckland
The compass symbolises the trust's kaupapa of navigating the taiao (environment) in relation to Ngā Tohu (the constellations).
While the Trust is celebrating the rise of Matariki, the programme also emphasises the importance of learning about the other signs of Te Takanga o te Rā (Winter Solstice).
The school programme promotes te reo and mātauranga Māori (Māori language and knowledge), with kēmu Māori (Māori games) led by Michaela Baker of Sport Hawkes Bay, tohu and taiao mātauranga shared by Sonya Sedgwick of Enviroschools and waka mātauranga led by Ngā Roma Poa of Te Toki Voyaging Trust.
Kymani Taukamau was amongst the tamariki who visited the Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust (Ātea Trust) tent set up at Waitangi during Matariki. Photo / Warren Buckland
Piripi Smith of Ātea Trust explains "I think its reflective of us as a nation, if you see what's happening with health and education, everything's becoming more inclusive of mātauranga Māori.
"It's just giving the kids a grasp of some of the mātauranga that our ancestors had."
Star origami and a mock beach clean-up was an activity organised by Jacque Wilton of The National Aquarium and was a highlight for several tamariki.
Fletcher Aranui (8) of Te Ara Hou Kura Kaupapa said she enjoyed the simple pleasure of "picking rubbish out of the sand to make it cleaner".
In their origami stars, tamariki wrote down their wishes for the Māori New Year, which included "Kia kaha ki whai piro (Stay strong to pursue victory)", "My wish is to be policeman", "I wish I was really really really rich" and "Kei te pirangi ahau i tētahi ngeru (I am wishing for a cat)."
Through their kaupapa of engagement with the environment, whether through waka or origami, Smith hopes Ātea a Rangi can continue to forge relationships from Papatūānuku to Ranginui for tamariki and the wider community.
