Stacey Morrison speaks at the M9 Matariki celebration.
Video / M9
Ria Hall (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Te Whānau ā Apanui, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Waikato)
Where is your favourite place in Aotearoa to stargaze? Nothing beats my hometown - Tauranga Moana. Even from the deck of my house, the evening sky is absolutely glorious. No place like home.
How do you plan to spend the Matariki public holiday?
I'll be performing in Whakatū, Nelson as part of the Matariki Festival - Te Huihui o Matariki 2022, hosted by Nelson City Council. Nau mai te mātahi o te tau - Happy Māori New Year!
See all the wāhine featured in this story at M9, a new hybrid speaker and performance event celebrating powerful Māori voices that reflect a contemporary te ao Māori, at Auckland's Civic Theatre on Friday, June 17. The inaugural event's theme is Matariki Rau Mahara - the power of reflection.
Broadcaster and author Stacey Morrison. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu)
Where is your favourite place in Aotearoa to stargaze?
Home! Which is actually a few places: Ōtautahi/Christchurch, Rotorua and Maketū. My hometown is Christchurch and tribally we come from Wairewa/Little River and Akaroa, so those are places we go back to both physically and connect to, whakapapa-wise. I also whakapapa to Te Arawa in Rotorua so that's one part of the connection but also my husband grew up there, his mum and whānau still live in the house he grew up in, and all our children were born there, even though we live in Auckland (we drove to Rotorua while I was in labour with my second child!). Maketū is where we now have a home for our whānau and friends to come to for holidays as well.
How do you plan to spend the Matariki public holiday?
I'll be part of the national event at Te Papa, hosting the Matariki celebrations with Mātai Smith. It's going to be stunning.
Where is your favourite place in Aotearoa to stargaze?
Te Mata Hāpuku/Birdlings Flat, it's sensational out there. A full firmament of glitter and gorgeousness. Plus you're looking out across one of the wildest beaches in the country, so there's an evocative soundtrack of crashing waves to go with the glamour of the sky.
How do you plan to spend the Matariki public holiday?
I'll be in Wellington after having spent the week in full Matariki mode, launching the new kids book Professor Rangi Matamua and I wrote about Matariki (Matariki - a Cluster of Stars, a Cluster of Stories), hosting chef Rewi Spraggon's Tohunga Tumau Matariki feast, and attending the formal launch of the Matariki public holiday at Te Papa. But, most of all, I'll be honouring my father, whose passing last year aligns with the release of souls by Taramainuku into the heavens to become stars.
Dr Hinemoa Elder (Ngati Kuri, Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri, Ngapuhi), will be spending the Matariki public holiday in the Far North. Photo / Supplied
Dr Hinemoa Elder (Ngāti Kurī, Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri, Ngāpuhi)
Where is your favourite place in Aotearoa to stargaze?
Our whānau love to look up at the stars at home. We are so lucky living in the same place for more than 20 years - we have enjoyed looking up, cherishing the stars from this little corner of the world. It makes me wonder about our tūpuna who looked up at the stars from their homes for generations, with their clear understandings of the natural world and their place in it. We look up through the ngāhere (forest), with very little light pollution obscuring the beauty of the night's sky. Those who have passed on are up there watching over us. I always think of my mum when I look at the stars from home. It's just so special because it is our home, the place that has nurtured us and the place where we are kaitiaki (guardians).
How do you plan to spend the Matariki public holiday?
I might be up home in Te Hiku o Te Ika (the Far North), which would be wonderful. We did our first hautapu (a traditional ceremony about making an offering to the Matariki star cluster) proper at home last year, getting up before the dawn, lighting a fire and cooking kai with the steam, sending our tribute up to Matariki. We cooked chicken for Tupuārangi, kūmara for Tupuānuku, some eel for Waitī and some mussels for Waitā. We had karakia and talked about those who had passed. It was emotional, letting our tears flow, feeling our grief and loss. We are still learning, and reclaiming our whānau traditions. It feels so good to have our Matariki time recognised and the importance of mātauranga (knowledge), of our way of being in the world celebrated.
Artist Lisa Reihana. Photo / Anna Briggs
Lisa Reihana (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāituteauru, Ngāi Tūpoto)
Where is your favourite place in Aotearoa to stargaze and what makes it so special?
I love being anywhere where there is a clear view of Te Waka o Tamarereti and Maui. Leigh is one such place, as there is less light pollution than in the city. I love that our ancestors are keeping an eye us from above; that makes my heart sing. All that sparkling sky dust is the korowai that dresses Ranginui (Sky Father) - keeping him warm.
How do you plan to spend the Matariki public holiday on June 24?
This year, like every year, we will be remembering those who have passed on, telling stories and lies, belly laughter amid salty tears. And this year we are also celebrating my nephew's 21st birthday. So we are heading to the Far North to be with whānau and closer to our papakainga (communal ancestral land). I'm looking forward to that trip.
