The days are shorter, the night sky is bright - and at Marlborough Girls’ we celebrate Matariki.
Twinkling in the winter sky just before dawn, the Matariki star cluster signals the Māori New Year. For Māori, the appearance of Matariki heralds a time of remembrance, joy and peace. It is a time for communities to come together and celebrate. This year’s theme for Matariki is Heri Kai. To unpack this meaning we can reflect on Matariki, the bringer of food. Harvest and preparation of sustenance for the year ahead might be a part of this celebration for you.
This year at MGC there are celebrations happening including:
Morning flag raising
Whānau Kai and Lights, Camera, Action classes collaborating to cook for the Kura Kai freezer
Kura Kai cook up
Matariki banner display - created by members of Te Riu o te Wairau me ngā hoa
Matariki activities on Wednesday morning
Whānau class activities including intention setting, quizlets and pukana competition
For a great summary of Matariki meanings with regional significance, have a look at this video from Te Papa.
Matariki Flag Raising
We commemorated the beginning of Matariki on Monday morning with the raising of the Tino Rangatiratanga flag. This will was flown on the flagpole in front of our school for the week, as we celebrate the beginning of another Māori New Year. There were many other events and activities throughout this week in the lead up to Matariki for both students and whanau.