Celebrating New Year the Māori Way

Date: 30 June 2009

June 24 marked the official start of Matariki, signifying the dawn of the Māori New Year.

The cultural celebration, which has experienced a revival in recent years, is marked with a national festival of public events across the country. From stargazing to story-telling and feasting to foraging, Matariki is an opportunity for visitors to get a glimpse into Māori culture and enjoy the fruits of New Zealand’s abundant harvest.

Tourism New Zealand actively works to promote Matariki to visiting international journalists visiting New Zealand.

"Matariki is a wonderful occasion to celebrate New Zealand’s Māori culture, our stories and our landscapes and we are working with organisations to build this event for future years," says Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive George Hickton.

"This is an important event for New Zealanders, but we believe it is also a great reason for international visitors to come to New Zealand and be part of that celebration."

Matariki is a cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades and the Seven Sisters. The rise of the star cluster heralds the beginning of the Māori New Year according to the lunar calendar.

The celebration has special significance in terms of food and hospitality, timed to fall at the end of a harvest when food stores are full. Traditionally families and friends would join together to feast on the food gifted by the land and sea. New crops were planted and the brightness of the star constellation would indicate how successful the year’s harvest was to be.

The official 2009 Matariki festival runs from 24 June to 24 July.

Source: Tourism New Zealand Feature