He mātārere te Pire hararei o Matariki o te tīmatanga hou /Matariki holiday Bill heralds new beginnings

Arts, Culture and Heritage

Hei tā te Minita tuarua mō te Toi, te Ahurea, te Taonga Tuku Iho, a Kiri Allan, kua tata ake te hararei tūmatanui tuatahi e aro ana ki Te Ao Māori ka whāiti mai ki Aotearoa i te pānuitanga tuatahi o te Pire whakanui i a Matariki.

He Pire reorua Te Pire mō te Hararei Tūmatanui o Te Kāhui o Matariki / Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Bill kei te reo Māori me te reo Ingarihi.  Koinei te ture reorua tuarima a Aotearoa me te harikoa o te Kāwanatanga ki te kite i te Pire e tāpaea ana ki te Whare i te wā ki a Mahuru Māori.

Hei tā Kiri Allan, “He tino takahanga te pānuitanga tuatahi o te rangi nei ki te ngākau pūmau o te Kāwanatanga kia whakaturia he hararei tūmatanui hei whakanui i a Matariki. Ko Matariki tā tātou hararei tūmatanui tuatahi e aro ana ki Te Ao Māori ka noho motuhake ki a tātou.” 

Ka neke te rā maramataka o te hararei tūmatanui o Matariki i ia tau kia hāngai ai ki te maramataka Māori, ka mutu, ka taka tonu ki te Rāmere. 

“I te aranga ake o Matariki i tēnei tau, ka pānuitia ngā rā o te Hararei Tūmatanui o Matariki mō ngā tau e 30 ka takoto ake. E mōhio ana au he tokomaha te hunga e rikarika ana ki te tuatahi o ngā Hararei Tumatanui o Matariki ā te 24 o Pipiri/Hune 2022.

Hei tā Kiri Allan, “Ka noho ahurei tēnei wā mō te aro atu ki te motuhaketanga o tō tātou tuakiri kotahi me te hiranga anō o te ao Māori.” 

Hei tā te Minita mō te Workplace Relations and Safety, a Michael Wood: “Ko tētahi atu tikanga o te taka tonu o te hararei tūmatanui ki te Rāmere ko te titiro whakamua a te tokomaha ka kapea i te Rāhinatanga o ngā hararei ki a Matariki.” 

Ko Matariki te ingoa Māori o Pleiades, tētahi kāhui whetū ka ara ake i wē-takurua, me te tohu i te Tau Hou Māori.  Ki ētahi iwi ko Puanga kē tēnei wā o te tau, ko ia te whetū mārama taiahoaho kei runga ake i te kāhui o Matariki ki te taha katau.

Hei tā Kiri Allan, “Ka mihi rā te ngākau ki te Rōpū Arataki o Matariki nā rātou nei mātou i ārahi.  Nā ā rātou kupu ārahi i tārai te Pire me ō mātou whakaaro ki te Hararei Tūmatanui o Matariki tonu. Nā ā rātou mahi, me tō rātou ngākau pai ki te tuku i ō rātou mātauranga, kua noho mai te mātauranga Māori ki te iho o ngā whakataunga mō te hararei tūmatanui hou.” 

Ka arahina ngā mai whakanui i te hararei tūmatanui hou e ētahi uara matua pērā i te kotahitanga, te whakawhiti whakaaro, te hākari, te huihui tahi, me te ngākau oho ki te taiao, he wā hoki a Matariki mō te: 

  • Whakamaharatanga – Te mahara ake ki te hunga kua riro mai i te aranga o Matariki i te tau o mua atu 
  • Whakanui i tēnei wā – Te huihui tahi ki te whakamoemiti mō ngā painga kei a tātou 
  • Titiro ki āpōpō atu – Te titiro whakamua ki ngā painga ka kawea mai e te tau hou

Ka taea ngā tūtohunga a te Rōpū Arataki o Matariki i te paetukutuku a MBIE.

Mō ētahi atu kōrero e pā ana ki te hararei tūmatanui o Matariki haere ki te paetukutuku a MBIE.

The first public holiday that distinctly recognises Te Ao Māori and is uniquely New Zealand is a step closer with the first reading of a Bill to celebrate Matariki, Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan says.

Te Pire mō te Hararei Tūmatanui o Te Kāhui o Matariki / Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Bill is a dual language Bill in both te reo Māori and English. This is Aotearoa New Zealand’s fifth piece of dual language legislation and the Government is pleased to see this Bill introduced to the House during Mahuru Māori.

“Today’s first reading is a significant step toward the Government’s commitment to establish a public holiday to celebrate Matariki. Matariki will be our first public holiday that recognises Te Ao Māori and will be one that is uniquely ours,” Kiri Allan said.

The calendar date for the Matariki public holiday will shift each year to align with the maramataka (Māori lunar calendar) and will always be on a Friday.

“During the rise of Matariki this year, the dates for the Matariki Public Holiday for the next 30 years were announced. I know many people are looking forward to the first Matariki Public Holiday on 24 June 2022.

“It will be a special time to acknowledge our unique, shared identity and the importance of te ao Māori,” Kiri Allan said

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood said: “The public holiday always falling on a Friday will also mean many of those who miss out on the Mondayisation of holidays will have Matariki to look forward to.”

Matariki is the Māori name for the Pleiades, and refers to a cluster of stars that rises in mid-winter, marking the start of the Māori New Year. Some iwi name this time of year Puanga, after a bright star that is above and to the right of the Matariki constellation.

“We are grateful to have had the guidance of the Matariki Advisory Group. Their advice has shaped the Bill and our views about the Matariki Public Holiday itself. Because of their work, and their willingness to share their expertise, mātauranga Māori has been at the heart of decision-making on the new public holiday,” Kiri Allan said.

Our celebration of the new public holiday will be informed by key values such as unity, sharing, feasting, coming together, and environmental awareness with Matariki being a time for:

  • Remembrance – Honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki
  • Celebrating the present – Gathering together to give thanks for what we have
  • Looking to the future – Looking forward to the promise of a new year.

The recommendations of the Matariki Advisory Group are available on the MBIE website.

For more information about the Matariki public holiday visit the MBIE website.