Matariki: Written in the stars

By Sarah Ell

NZ Herald·

19 Jun, 2015 07:00 PM6 mins to read

A Maori birdman kite flown on Matariki at Orakei Marae. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Matariki brings a full calendar of events to enjoy over the next month, discovers Sarah Ell.

Matariki is as old as the stars themselves, as the constellation known elsewhere in the world as the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters becomes visible in the dawn sky in New Zealand. Celebrating Maori New Year has moved into the mainstream, with a full calendar of events around the city this June and July.

Festival director Anahera Higgins says events have been chosen to appeal to a wide audience, especially families.

"It is described as a Maori festival but it isn't really - it is grounded in Maori kaupapa (principles) but it an event for everybody," she says.

The festival officially kicked off this morning with a dawn karakia on the summit of Maungakiekie/One Tree Hill, but there are events all through the city for the coming month.

"A significant traditional aspect is farewelling those who have died in the previous 12 months, and to hold on to the teachings that they have left, for future generations," says Higgins. "The strands of matauranga (sharing of knowledge), mahi toi (arts) and taiao (caring for the environment) are very much in line with the concept of looking after things, not just language and culture but the land we stand on."

Big weekends

Auckland Council is hosting three big weekend events, all free and aimed at families. On Saturday July 11, the Cloud at Queens Wharf will be filled with the sounds of kapa haka, but not as we know it.

"The 2degrees Kapa Haka Super 12s is a fantastic event, with 12 teams of 12 people, each having 12 minutes up on stage to win a share of $12,000," says Higgins. "It's different to traditional kapa haka in that it has to contain three elements - haka, poi and waiata - and it has to be in te reo, but other than that the teams can do whatever they like.

"It's a really high-end spectacle with amazing costumes, and there are all sorts of different takes on it. Because everyone only has 12 minutes, it's very high-impact stuff."

The following Saturday, July 18, is the Manu Aute Kite Day at Orakei Marae. The flying of kites ties in with the remembrance aspect of Matariki.

"It's a wonderful way to say farewell to those who have passed - a visual way of saying goodbye and symbolically releasing their spirits into the atmosphere," Higgins says. "And aside from the tikanga aspect, it's just a great day and place to fly a kite, something everyone can do together as a family."

Orakei Marae will also be open to visitors and there will be entertainment and performances throughout the day.

The final weekend wraps up with three days of action at Silo Park on the waterfront, with markets, street food, music and cultural performances on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Throughout the festival, traditional carvers from the group Nga Whaotapu o Tamaki Makaurau (the Sacred Chisels of Auckland) will also be working every day to sculpt an ancient piece of kauri at Silo 6.

Participate in Matariki celebrations at creative workshops and kapa haka events. Photo / Supplied

School holiday fun

The timing of Matariki also coincides with the July school holidays, and there are plenty of events to keep the kids entertained.

The Auckland Museum's Tales of Tamaki: Stories Over Auckland programme is running again these holidays, featuring storytelling, art and crafts, and music and dance performances, as well as special Matariki storytimes and craft activities.

The museum will also host a Matariki art market on Sunday, July 19.

Down on the waterfront, the Maritime Museum has a special Matariki-themed discovery trail within the museum showcasing its Maori collections, as well as its Kiwis at Sea school holiday programme. There will also be a Matariki on the Waterfront trail, with interactive activities set up around the Viaduct and Wynyard Quarter.

Auckland Libraries has a Matariki theme during the festival, and for its school holiday programme, with a range of events at libraries across the city. The Matariki Ma Tatou Katoa (Matariki for the entire family) programme includes themed storytimes and rhymetimes, weaving, art and craft activities, Lego tukutuku and waka construction sessions and special early evening family story sessions, with Milo and biscuits, at several libraries.

There are also two children's theatre productions: Rangi and Mau's Amazing Race at the new Te Oro performing arts centre in Glen Innes, and Ruia Te Kakano: Hokia ki Nga Maunga (Return to the Mountain) at the Herald Theatre, a bilingual show for 5-10 year olds.

In the Waitakeres, the Arataki Visitor Centre is running a range of family-friendly activities throughout Matariki, including workshops, forest hikoi and a storytelling session.

Stalls selling woven goods on Matariki. Photo / Supplied

Hands-on culture

An important strand of the Matariki festival is matauranga or knowledge-sharing, and there are lots of opportunities to get hands-on and try traditional Maori crafts. Arataki is holding a mokihi or traditional Maori reed-boat workshop on Sunday July 5, and raranga, weaving for beginners on Sunday July 12. There are also opportunities to try weaving at the Uxbridge Creative Centre in Howick, the Birkdale Hall and the Toi Ora Live Art Trust in Grey Lynn.

This weekend the Tainui Garden of Memories in Howick is hosting a hands-on weekend of poi making, kohatu (stone) design, sculpture and taonga puroro (traditional Maori instruments). There will be creative workshops for youth and adults at Orakei Marae, and chef and Maori Television host Rewi Spraggon will host Wananga-a-Kai hangi-making workshops at the Te Mahurehure Marae in Pt Chevalier and Te Tahawai Marae at Edgewater College.

In keeping with the taiao (environment) theme of the festival, the Te Tuhi arts centre in Pakuranga will focus on traditional seasonal planting, with visitors encouraged to explore a living wall created by local school students and a children's interactive learning zone. There will also be a planting day at the Eastview Reserve on the Omaru River in Glen Innes on Saturday, July 11.

Kapa Haka celebrations for Matariki. Photo / Supplied

Seeing stars

To learn more about the astrological aspects of Matariki, head along to the Stardome Planetarium for a special evening show, Matariki Dawn, on June 21, and 24-28. The show includes the Maori myth of the creation of the world and the tradition of Maori New Year, plus information about the stars of Matariki, as well as a courtyard telescope viewing.

Star-crossed lovers

A highlight of the Matariki festival is one of the finest works in the English language, presented entirely in te reo. A special season of Romeo raua ko Hurieta (Romeo and Juliet), directed by Te Arepa Kahi will be performed in the Maori Court at Auckland Museum on Tuesday July 7, Thursday July 9 and Saturday July 11. Te Haumihiata Mason spent a year translating the play into Maori, and it will be performed by an all-star cast of te reo speakers.

"It really transcends people's understanding of language, with the power of the written word and the actors who perform it," festival director Anahera Higgins says.