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Photo by John Murrihy

Matariki

John Murrihy —

Matariki is the Maori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. It rises in mid-winter and for many Maori, it heralds the start of a new year.

Matariki this year runs from 13 - 20 July, but given that that is in the holidays we held our Matariki activities just before the end of Term 2.

This year the kids undertook a number of activities including learning about the Matariki stars, manu tukutuku (kite) making, raranga (weaving), making a korowai (cloak), ngā rākau (rhythmic throwing and catching sticks) and drama.

From my initial viewing there was mess and chaos everywhere! On closer inspection there was still a lot of mess but, more importantly, there was lots of enthusiasm, creativity and enjoyment.

Have a look through the range of photos below to see some of the industry and outcome from the day.