Matariki 2009 celebrations
Matariki 2009 - Māori New Year celebrations - launched in New Zealand with a hugely successful gourmet hangi that tickled traditional taste buds, and may have changed attitudes towards the customary Māori feast forever.
The Matariki event saw 700 guests sit down to a gourmet meal, crafted by New Zealand celebrity chef Peter Gordon and a team of helpers, at Turangawaewae marae - home of the Māori king - in Ngaruawahia near Hamilton.
Designed to raise funds for the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre set up by singer Hinewehi Mohi to help handicapped children, the gourmet hangi was followed by a show of Māori culture and entertainment that featured a line up of New Zealand’s top musicians.