MATARIKI EXPLAINED

Matariki is now recognised as an official national holiday in Aotearoa/ New Zealand and everyone can celebrate it. Matariki Explained is a special half hour documentary that outlines what Matariki is, why it is significant and how we can celebrate.

Matariki Explained features renowned Māori Astrologer and holder of ancestral knowledge, Rereata Makiha. Rereata shares with us his knowledge of living by the Māori calendar (Maramataka). Ngāti Rangi leader, Che Wilson shows us how they celebrate traditional Māori new year in Ohakune and about the significance of the Puanga (Rigel) star. Also featuring is young Maramataka advocate, Hana Rawhiti Maipi. Hana is passionate about sharing the experience of hautapu, the traditional ceremony that makes an offering to the Matariki star cluster. She explains how simple it is for everyone to start up their own traditions in celebration of Matariki, remembrance and renewal fresh for the year ahead.

As it’s name suggests, Matariki Explained provides a beginners guide to understanding what this new national holiday is all about while providing new information for those who do have some knowledge.

With thanks to our funders, Te Māngai Pāho and NZonAir