Stacey Morrison: M9 event a way to engage with Matariki in a rejuvenating way

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

The inaugural M9 event will debut this Friday in celebration of Matariki. Under the theme of "Matariki Rau Mahara - the Power of Reflection", nine wāhine Māori will take the stage in an entertainment-filled night of storytelling and performances.

Kāhu spoke to Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu), TV presenter, broadcaster and educator, about her thoughts about being a part of the M9 event and the celebration of mātauranga Māori.

What made you want to get involved with M9?

It was a no-brainer. Also, the fact that Ria Hall (M9's senior producer) asked me. What it does reveal is that as wāhine Māori, if we reach out to each other, everyone jumps on board. The mutual admiration means that we're like, "Oh yeah, totally - I'd love to be in that environment with them."

What do you hope the audience will get out of the event?

Whatever they need. Some of the women that have told me that they're coming are women who I think are really inspiring. It's an opportunity for us to come together with things that we want to be a part of and celebrate. That being Matariki, being wāhine ... celebrating memories and resetting. It's a way to engage with Matariki in a really social and rejuvenating way.

How do you think M9 links to Matariki?

It's asking us to look back in any way. That's the thing Matariki asks us to do: to consider the year just gone, but also the context of life when the new year comes. The years have more meaning when you reflect on what has happened before. Being nine wāhine is one of the event's references to Matariki, but it's really about resetting, reflecting, and setting intentions for the year ahead.

Do you have any household traditions for Matariki?

It wasn't something that I had a lot of growing up, especially as we grew up in the south. All of the kids' schools celebrate different Matariki events. We have karakia, usually at a maunga in Auckland. We usually have wānanga and a concert of some sort, too. It's a rolling celebration, basically! We also have a lot of whānau birthdays. My two nieces are two days before mine, all within the Matariki period.

What is your view on NZ having a public holiday to celebrate te ao Māori?

I heard it's the first indigenous national holiday. Scotty (husband) mentioned that at my son's school and everybody went, "wow!"

In some ways, it's a bit sad, because there are lots of opportunities all over the world for an entire country to celebrate an indigenous event. But I think it's a great opportunity for us to lean into what mātauranga Māori can offer all of us. Seeing the festivals that are coming out and the ways that people are celebrating is really cool.