Matariki 'belongs to all of us' – not just Māori, says astronomer Dr Rangiānehu Mātāmua. Photo / NZME
Matariki 'belongs to all of us' – not just Māori, says astronomer Dr Rangiānehu Mātāmua. Photo / NZME
Matariki “belongs to all of us” – not just Māori, says astronomer Dr Rangiānehu Mātāmua, the man widely credited with getting Matariki recognised as a public holiday in New Zealand.
Falling this coming Friday, Matariki is a celebration of the rising of the star cluster also known as Pleiades. For many Māori, it heralds the start of the new year, and is traditionally a time to remember those you’ve lost, celebrate your identity with kai and whānau, and plan for the future.
Asked whether Matariki was “only a Māori thing” in an interview on Real Life with John Cowan on Newstalk ZB on Sunday night, 2023 New Zealander of the Year Mātāmua was emphatic in his response.
“No, no, no, no, no,” he told Cowan. “It is a New Zealand Aotearoa thing. Matariki is the Pleiades, and everywhere across the world, it’s the earliest and most well-recorded group of stars in the night sky.
“There’s not a single person in this country or across the world who does not descend from people who used those stars to determine when to plant, when to harvest, the new year, and a whole lot of associated activities.
“Here in Aotearoa, Māori call it Matariki, but the connection that those stars have right across the globe is universal. We just celebrate it in a particular way here. Māori don’t own the sky, no one does. It belongs to all of us – it’s a human thing.”
Last year, just over half of Kiwis celebrated Matariki in some way – “pretty good for the inaugural holiday” – and Mātāmua hopes that will be built on this year as more of us understand its significance.
For him, the Māori spirituality at the heart of Matariki is an important part of his life. He does karakia when he’s in the forest and on the ocean, and has a daily rhythm of prayer.
Mātāmua acknowledges the spiritual elements of Matariki may not sit comfortably with all New Zealanders, particularly those who are secular or those of other faiths. But he notes spirituality lies at the heart of a few of our other public holidays too.
Dr Mātāmua acknowledges the spiritual elements of Matariki may not sit comfortably with all New Zealanders, particularly those who are secular or those of other faiths. Photo / Whakaata Māori
“The same thing could be said about Christmas and Easter. For some people, it’s about eating Easter eggs and hot cross buns, and for others it’s a very important part of their religious beliefs. [Matariki celebrations] will be determined by individuals and what they deem to be important.
“I’m always very, very careful not to tell anyone how they should celebrate anything… While it does have a traditional origin, how we decide its meaning and purpose in a modern-day Aotearoa and who we want to be as a nation is really up to us.
“I just hope that those three universal themes [of remembrance, celebration and planning remain] because they’re really good themes, however you want to celebrate them.”
Mātāmua is the chief advisor to the Government on Matariki, and played an integral role in lobbying for it to be recognised as an official New Zealand public holiday.
He told Real Life his interest in Matariki and astronomy was sparked by a “very rich, very dense” 400-page manuscript about Mātauranga Māori pertaining to lunar calendar systems, written by his tupuna in the late 1800s.
Dr Mātāmua is the chief advisor to the Government on Matariki, and played an integral role in lobbying for it to be recognised as an official New Zealand public holiday. Photo / Supplied
His grandfather handed him the heirloom when he was on his deathbed, Mātāmua said.
“He told me ‘you need to find a way to share that knowledge, [because] knowledge that isn’t shared isn’t knowledge’.
“I really have lived with that as a mantra since that moment and have dedicated myself to sharing Māori astronomical knowledge, in the belief that there is a benefit to all people with that knowledge base – particularly connecting with identity and connecting with the environment.”
“The field I’m in has a family legacy that I am hoping to maintain and can hopefully pass down to someone else in the family when I’m no longer involved.”
