This week we are celebrating Matariki week: This is the Māori New Year. It is a time to gather with family and friends to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and plan for the future.

Ngā mihi o Matariki, te tau hou Māori

Happy Matariki to all our Oaklands families. Matariki is a time of remembrance and paying respect to the ancestors and those who are no longer with us and wishing for abundance for the beginning of the new cycle. This Friday Aotearoa will observe and celebrate Matariki for the very first time. A reminder to our families that Oaklands School will be closed on this day.

Read on for 5 great ideas on how to celebrate Matariki with your family in 2022.

1. Take Time to Reflect and Practice Gratitude

With the beginning of the New Year, there is always a time for reflection and planning ahead for a more abundant future. During Matariki, it is important to pay respects to those who are no longer with us and celebrate their life. Practicing gratitude for all the good things that have happened in the previous year and setting positive intentions for the one ahead is also a great way to celebrate Māori New Year.

2. Share a Delicious Winter Meal With Family and Friends

Traditionally, Matariki is all about the winter harvest and preserving the food to last during the harsh season. To honor the food available to you, a great idea is to try eating some traditional Māori winter dishes and also get involved in some food preservation which might be fun to do with your kids. You could do some community cooking where more people can join together and tap into the wonderful traditions of Matariki sharing recipes and knowledge with each other.

3. Practise Your Te Reo Māori'

Say ‘happy Matariki’ in te reo Māori by saying ‘Ngā mihi o Matariki, te tau hou Māori’.

4. Write Down Your Dreams And Wishes For The Year Ahead 

Why don’t you get creative and make a Matariki journal in which under each star you could write a wish? The 9 Matariki stars represent different elements. The 9th star ‘’Hiwa-i-te-Rangi’’ is connected to making wishes. You could target this star when writing your wishes.

5. Go Outdoors For Some Stargazing

What is more wonderful than going outside and seeing the Matariki star cluster with your family? You can take a trip to the coast when the sky is bright and observe the cluster from there. For those who like to get even a better view of it, getting a telescope will really make all the difference! Your kids will surely remember this experience for a long time!

“Matariki” refers to the star cluster also known as Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters. The stars can be seen most of the year, except for a period at the beginning of the cold months, when they disappear from view. Their reappearance in the pre-dawn sky in the middle of winter heralds the beginning of a new year.

It can be difficult to see Matariki clearly from some parts of the country, so some iwi use a different star as their signal. The tribes of Whanganui, Taranaki, parts of the Far North, and parts of the South Island recognise the rise of Puanga (Rigel in Orion), which appears around the same time as Matariki.