Māori astronomer Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua reflects on three years of Matariki

Prof Rangiānehu Mātāmua says Matariki has quickly grown to become a part of our national identity.

As we approach the third year of celebrating Matariki as a public holiday, reporter Myjanne Jensen talks with Māori astronomer Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmu about what the past three years have meant for him and Aotearoa New Zealand.

It’s a hard feat summarising the immense contribution someone like Māori astronomer Professor Rangiānehu Mātāmua has made to this country.

You could start by highlighting the Tuhoe scholar’s impressive list of accolades, including the Prime Minister’s Science Prize, or being elected as a Fellow to the Academy of the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

Or there’s his 2023 Officer of New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to Māori astronomy and 2023 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year awards.

Arguably one of Mātāmua’s most profound legacies, however, is his passion for sharing the kōrero tuku iho (oral history) of his tūpuna (ancestors), which culminated in the establishment of the Matariki public holiday and a new sense of national unity and kotahitanga (oneness).

“I was totally surprised at how people have embraced it, but over the past three years it’s become really apparent how the nation has gravitated towards Matariki,” Mātāmua said.

“While it’s a Māori tradition, it’s also being celebrated by non-Māori, and I think that’s because of what Matariki represents- remembering our loved ones, celebrating who we are, having a feast together, and looking forward to a bright and prosperous future.

“I’m so proud of how it has eventuated and how we’ve been able to do something that I think is having a really important impact on us as a nation.”

Mātāmua has dedicated much of his life to the revitalisation and resurgence of Matariki and has written widely on the topic.

Data released by the Government showed how in 2022, 51% of the population turned out to celebrate the first-ever official Matariki public holiday.

Last year, that number rose to 60%.

Mātāmua said for a long time, New Zealanders had looked overseas to places like Europe to mimic their practices.

But as the data suggested, he believed Matariki was growing in importance and reflected a desire to recognise mātauranga Māori (Māori traditions and knowledge).

“There have been some cool shifts in how Matariki is becoming a marker of our national identity and is unifying us as a country,” he said.

“In 100 years, the thing we’re going to seek more than anything else - we’ll crave even- is not the things that make us the same, but what makes us unique.

“It’s those things that will add flavour, diversity and uniqueness to our lives, language and culture.

“Celebrating Matariki is part of that and the process of ensuring our traditional practices continue within our lives.”

That desire to recognise Matariki was not just happening here either, he said.

According to Mātāmua, countries like Malaysia, Japan and America were also looking to hold their own Matariki celebrations.

In fact, other indigenous peoples around the world were now using the example of Matariki to establish their own traditional holiday.

“Matariki is already celebrated across the Pacific and I went to Tahiti earlier this year where they are putting together their own Matariki public holiday,” Mātāmua said.

“There are also discussions happening in Hawaii and Australia as they are seeing how people are wanting to connect to their own part of the world and cultural traditions.

“They too want to reintroduce the practices of their ancestors and how they connected to the environment and landscape.”

With regards to the establishment of the Matariki public holiday, Mātāmua was quick to acknowledge the mahi (work) of others involved with the Matariki Advisory Group.

He said Hokianga Maramataka (Māori lunar calendar) tohunga (expert) Rereata Mākiha, for example, was someone he greatly admired and for many years had been doing great things in the Maramataka and Matariki space.

The 2024 official Matariki hautapu (Matariki Ceremony) national broadcast will be hosted by Ngāi Tahu in Te Waipounamu (South Island).

Mātāmua said for this year’s celebration, he encouraged people to celebrate however it felt right for them.

“I tell people Matariki is the coming together as families, as communities, to celebrate each other,” he said.

“Yes there are traditional ceremonies held on hillsides with really long karakia (prayers) which are wonderful.

“While I definitely encourage people go to their local events, the true essence of Matariki is about whānau coming together, having a feast and sharing time - so that’s a real opportunity to treasure as well.”

Matariki facts:

• Matariki is the Māori name for the star cluster most commonly known as Pleiades, with Māori traditionally using the rising of Matariki (June/July) as a marker for the New Year.
• Iwi across Aotearoa understand and celebrate Matariki in different ways and at different times, with iwi in Te Tai Tokerau typically looking to the star Puanga (Rigel).
• The Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Act 2022 first came into effect in April 2022, establishing the day as a public holiday and first of its kind to recognise Te Ao Māori.
• It was also the first public holiday in the world to recognise an indigenous tradition.
• Like Easter, the date of the Matariki public holiday changes each year, but will always fall in June or July and on a Friday.
• This year’s theme, Matariki Heri Kai – a proverb meaning ‘Matariki Bearing Food’.