A few ideas for Matariki

Celebrating Matariki at home

• Get your whānau together to share kai.
• Have a quiet moment of wonder and marvel at the stars.
• Plant a tree or prepare your vegetable garden for new planting.
• Invite your neighbours around for a chat and a cuppa.
• Reflect on your connection to te taiao, our natural environment. Get out into nature, appreciate its beauty, and think about ways you can help it flourish.
• Share stories with whānau and friends and reminisce on loved ones lost.
• Plan some exciting new adventures for the year ahead.
• Attend a local Matariki event.

Celebrating Matariki with the whānau

• Create manu tukutuku – kites were traditionally used to welcome Matariki as they sail close to the whetū (stars) and connect us and Papatūānuku (the earth) to those that have passed on.
• Learn about the stars and make whetū bunting – make time as a whānau over Matatiki and complete the nine Matariki whānau adventures together.
• Learn and sing a waiata and play traditional Maori games.
• Have a meal with the whānau, sharing stories about the highs and lows of the last years, what we are grateful for, and things we are looking forward to in the year ahead.
• Attend a local Matariki event.

Celebrating Matariki in your workplace or organisation

• Encourage a conversation about what people are doing to celebrate Matariki – simply asking ‘how are you going to celebrate Matariki?’ encourages people to share their experiences or think about what they could do.
• Have a potluck Matariki feast – everyone can bring kai to share.
• Have a hui to celebrate some of your wins over the last 12 months, and to set some goals for the year ahead.
• Matariki is the season for manaakitanga or hospitality. Organise a collection for a local charity or foodbank so they can keep up their great mahi.
• Incorporate more te reo Māori into your day – have a go at using karakia to bless shared kai and open and close meetings.
• Keep up the kōrero by ordering a Maramataka calendar – observing the moon phases help us plan and reflect on how we’re feeling.
• Attend a local event or hold your own!

Ways you can help

We'd love your help sharing our Matariki campaign through your networks. Check out this document for some ways you can celebrate Matariki at home, with tamariki and at your workplace or organisation.

So... how are you celebrating Matariki?

We'd love to hear your plans! Let us know what you're looking forward to on our digital wall!