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E mea ana ngā pakeke, ko Matariki hopua nui, ko Matariki ihu hupe, ko Matariki te kāhui o te kaupeka hou.
Nā reira e hoa mā kia tika ngā pūeru mēnā koe tētehi o te hunga ka tae ki te umu kohukohu whetū ka tū ki Arawa Kauanga ā te pāraire e heke mai nei.
Ko ngā kupu aroha ēnei nā Pirihira Whata tētehi o ngā poumahi mā Healthy Families Rotorua, kua riro māna te kaupapa e whakarite ka tū ki Motutara.
He pōwhiri tēnei ki ngā tangata katoa ki te ata hāpara ki a hui tahi ai tātou katoa ki te whakamihi ki te whakateitei i te tau hou Māori. E pūare ana ki te hāpori kia mōhio hoki ai rātou ki te tikanga o te umu kohukohu whetū.
Ko te tikanga o te umu whetū, ka whakatapua he kai ki ia whetū rangatira. Ka maoa te kai, ka uta ki te tūāhu e rere ai te ihi ki te kōmata o te rangi. Ka rere te mamao, ka kai ngā whetū, ka kai a Matariki. Ko tētehi wāhanga nui o te karakia he waha i ngā ingoa o te hunga kua mate o te wiki o ngā marama o te tau kia rewa ngātahi ai rātou katoa ki te kāhui whetū.
Kia whetūrangitia rātou. Ko te wāhanga poroporoaki i ngā mate, ko te whakahua i ngā ingoa kia tika tō rātou wairua ki te kāinga okiokinga whakamutunga kore. He kupu awhina ruarua anō nā Pirihira. Ki te tae mai te tangata, mauria mai he rama, he tōti, kia mahara hoki, ka mā raro koe, kotou mai te wāhi whakatū motukā ki Motutara. Whakaū ngā motukā ki te Energy Events Centre. ( Me moata hoki e hoa mā, kai te atapō tonu). Kua whakaritea he waka kawe tangata hoki e māmā ai te atapō mō ngā kaumātua me te hunga hauā.
Me tapu hoki te atapō. Whakamoeā ngā whōna.
Engari pai ana te whakaahua i mua o te karakia me te wāhanga a muri ake o te karakia. Engari e karakia ana. Me noho tapu. Ka whakaarangia hoki te whakaaturanga Tirama e whakanui nei i te kāhui Matariki.
Ko Matariki o Te Arawa tētehi whakaaro i whakaara ake e Healthy Families, te kaunihera o Rotorua ko te wāhanga o Te Amorangi me te mana whenua o Motutara otīā a Ngai Te Arawa ki te whakarauora i tēnei tikanga tawhito e hā anō ai a Matariki mātauranga e ai ki a Ngai Te Arawa tikanga e ai ki a Ngai Te Arawa kawa.
Ko te tikanga o tēnei kaupapa ki a wānanga tahi te iwi me te hāpori i te wehi o Matariki ki a Māori noa a Matariki. Nā te kaha rūnanga o tēnei kaupapa kua whakaturia tētehi tāhua pūtea e mana ai tēnei waka ka tukuna te tono ki Te Arawhiti he wāhanga iti o te Māori Crown Relations, kai te Te Tatau o Te Arawa tēnei wāhanga.
Wheoi anō, he whakamihi noa tēnei ki te hunga tautoko mai ki ngā ringa rehe ki ngā kāhui katoa i whakapono mai.
Tirohia te whārangi ipurangi o Ngā Pātaka Kōrero o Te Arawa kai reira ngā tohutohu me ngā whakamaramatanga – engari rā kia mōhio ai kotou kai te waihanga tonutia tēnei whārangi nā reira kia āta haere ka tika katoa ā te rātahi e heke nei.
■ Whāia ēnei huarahi e tae ai koe. www.ngapatakakorerootearawa.org/matariki-rotorua-2022' www.facebook.com/matarikirotorua2022
Dress warmly when you go out at dawn to honour Matariki being observed as a public holiday for the first time when an umu kohukohu whetū is opened on the shore of Lake Rotorua next Friday.
This is the advice of Pirihira Whata from Healthy Families Rotorua, one of the principal organisers of the Matariki Celebration at Motutara Point (Sulphur Point).
Locals, visitors, and the whole whānau are invited to attend the city's inaugural Matariki civic ceremony, This event will provide the public an opportunity to participate in an umu kohukohu whetū ceremony — a traditional way Māori exercised reciprocity with the atua and stars.
An umu is made with different food which relates to the individual stars of Matariki. When the kai is cooked, it is placed on a tūāhu (platform), and the essence is enveloped into the steam. As the steam rises it feeds the stars of Matariki.
As part of the ceremony, people can speak the names of loved ones who passed the previous year and the names will travel upwards to become stars. It is part of the grieving process, and by saying their name, we are wishing them farewell as they make their journey home.
Pirihhira advises people to bring ring torches and allow 20 minutes to walk to Motutara from parking within the Government Gardens. Park at the Energy Events Centre (please be parked by 5am).
A free return shuttle will be available for kaumātua/elderly/limited ability whānau between the carpark and ceremony location.
Please do not film the tohunga or the formal ceremony (although you may take photos before and after the ceremony).
Tīrama, an interactive light show representing Matariki will be set up along the way
The Matariki o Te Arawa kaupapa was formed through a strong collaboration between Healthy Families Rotorua, Rotorua Lakes Council's Te Amorangi Unit, mana whenua of Motutara Point and Te Arawa to reinvigorate Te Arawa Matariki mātauranga and appropriate commemorations according to Te Arawa kawa and tikanga.
The overall goal of this kaupapa is to have Te Arawa rōpū collaborate on and activate various wānanga, resources, and ceremonial events to revive Matariki to a point where it becomes normalised to our tamariki and mokopuna.
Following extensive engagement and consultation across Te Arawa Iwi and Hapū by Healthy Families Rotorua, a collective Matariki funding application on behalf of 15 Te Arawa focussed organisations was developed and submitted to Te Arawhiti, the Office for Māori Crown Relations under Te Tatau o Te Arawa.
We acknowledge the initiative, support and hard work these organisations have done to bring about these activities and look forward to engaging with you postevents on plans for the future.
Ngā Pātaka Kōrero o Te Arawa website is currently hosting all the information for the ceremony – please note the website is under construction and traffic should be limited until at least Monday evening.
■ https://ngapatakakorerootearawa.org/matariki-rotorua-2022' This is the city's facebook page https://www.facebook.com/matarikirotorua2022
'This decision has not been made lightly'.