The crowds listened and danced to Unity Wara's performance. Photo/ Alyssa Smith
Whakaahurangi/Stratford celebrated the Māori New Year with waiata, kōrero and kanikani.
Last Thursday, the Stratford District Council hosted the district's first Starry Night event, where Prospero Place was transformed into a wonderland to remember and reflect for Puanga.
This is the fourth year the council has run events for Puanga, but with this being the first year the country has celebrated the Māori New Year as a public holiday, the council wanted to add some special events such as Starry Night to celebrate.
In Taranaki, Puanga is more visible than Matariki, therefore Taranaki uses the star Puanga to celebrate the beginning of the Māori New Year.
With free glow-in-the-dark face painting, live performances, and free activities in the library and visitor information centre, there was plenty to do to celebrate the special time of the year.
"I've learnt about Puanga and Matariki at my school. It's great to celebrate it with so many people."
While people waited to get their faces painted, they could listen to Unity Wara perform waiata or watch Fire and Flow perform or listen to a story.
There was also the chance to walk among the stars. In Prospero Place, there was a special glow-in-the-dark tunnel, with stars created by primary school children and members of a local rest home.
Piper James,3, liked walking through the tunnel and looking at the stars.
"My shirt glowed really bright in the tunnel. All of the stars looked amazingOk."
The Stratford Library and Visitor Information Centre had free activities for tamariki to do.
Librarian Kate Fairhurst says the children could colour in a star on the window, draw or create 3D shapes.
"It's wonderful to be able to provide our community with these free activities and events as we celebrate Puanga."
People also had the chance to honour those they had lost and reflect, with burdens or the names of lost loved ones to be burned as a way to reflect on the past and also refocus on the future.
On Saturday, a special Puanga Prospero Market took place with people having the opportunity to learn weaving and traditional Māori games from local Māori Women's Welfare League representatives.