Matariki holiday dates for next thirty years announced

Hei tā Peeni Henare, te Minita Tuarua Taupua mō te Manatū Taonga, rāua ko Michael Wood o te Workplace Relations and Safety, kua pānuitia e te Kāwanatanga ngā rā o te hararei tūmatanui o Matariki kua tohua mō ngā tau e toru tekau kei te tū mai hei whakaū mārire i ngā hapori me ngā pakihi.

Ka whakanuia e Aotearoa a Matariki hei hararei tūmatanui atu i te tau e tū mai nei, ka tīmata ake ā te 24 o Hune 2022. Haere he tau ka nuku te rā maramataka mō te hararei tūmatanui kia rite ai ki te maramataka (maramataka ā-marama Māori), ka taka tonu ki te Paraire.

Hei tā Peeni Henare, “Ko Matariki te hararei tūmatanui tuatahi e aro ana ki te Te Ao Māori, he rā ka noho motuhake mai ki Aotearoa.”

“I noho tonu te Mātauranga Māori ki te iho o ngā whakatau mō te hararei tūmatanui hou nei.  Nā te Rōpū Arataki o Matariki, ētahi mātanga rongonui o te Ao Māori mō ō rātou mātauranga e pā ana ki a Matariki me te Maramataka, i ārahi te tukanga nei, i tā rātou tāpae kupu ārahi mai me tā rātou totoro i ngā hapori puta noa i Aotearoa. Ka mihi rā mō ā rātou kupu ārahi, ka āwhina nei ki te pou atu i Te Ao Māori ki te rā.”

Hei tā Peeni Hēnare anō, “Neke noa atu te tikanga o Matariki i te hararei tūmatanui. Ka arahina te āhua o tā tātou whakanui i te hararei tūmatanui hou nei e ngā uara matua pērā i te kotahitanga, te whakawhitiwhiti tahi, te hākari tahi, te huihui tahi, me te ohooho anō ki te taiao.”

Ko Matariki te ingoa Māori mō Pleiades, e tohu ana i tētahi kāhui whetū ka ara ake i wē- takurua, e tīmata ai te Tau Hou Māori.  Ka kīia tēnei wā o te tau e ētahi iwi ko Puanga, te ingoa o tētahi whetū mārama kei runga ake o Matariki ki te taha katau.

“Ka taka tonu te hararei tūmatanui o Matariki ki te Paraire, kua pai te haere a ngā hunga o Aotearoa i wē-takurua ki te haereere ka tautoko ai i te whakaoranga ake o te ōhanga o te rāngai tāpoi.   

“I kī mai te Rōpū Arataki o Matariki kia arahina mātou e te whakataukī  – Matariki hunga nui (Matariki whakahuihui tangata). Mā te wīkēne roa hou nei e āhei ai te tangata ki te hoki ki ō rātou kāinga ki ngā rohe rānei, ki te noho tahi ki ō rātou whānau.”

Hei tā Minita Michael Wood o te Workplace Relations and Safety “I te taka tonu o te hararei tūmatanui o Matariki ki te Paraire, kua pai te titiro whakamua a te hunga ka tīpoka i ngā hararei taka ki te Rāhina, ki a Matariki.   

Ka tāpaea tētahi Pire tū-motuhake ki te aroaro o te Pāremata hei whakaū ōkawa i te hararei tūmatanui o Matariki i tēnei tau, ka mutu, ka whai wāhi te tangata ki te tāpae ake i ōna whakaaro i te wā o te tukanga komiti whiriwhiri.

The Government has released the recommended dates for the Matariki public holiday for the next thirty years to give communities and businesses certainty, Acting Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Peeni Henare and Workplace Relations and Safety Michael Wood announced today.

The Government is delivering on its pre-election commitment and New Zealand will celebrate Matariki as a public holiday from next year, beginning on 24 June 2022. 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.

“Matariki will be our first public holiday that recognises Te Ao Māori and will be one that is uniquely New Zealand,” Peeni Henare said.

“Mātauranga Māori has been at the heart of decision making on the new public holiday. The Matariki Advisory Group, recognised experts in Te Ao Māori and the mātauranga associated with Matariki and the Maramataka, have led this process, providing advice and engaging with communities across Aotearoa. We are grateful for their guidance, which is helping ensure Te Ao Māori is embedded within the day.

“Matariki is more than just a public holiday. Our celebration of the new public holiday will be informed by key values such as unity, sharing, feasting, coming together, and environmental awareness,” Peeni Henare said.

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.

“The Matariki public holiday will always fall on a Friday, which will help more Kiwis take mid-winter getaways and support the tourism sector’s economic recovery,” Michael Wood said.

“The Matariki Advisory Group asked that we be guided by the whakataukī ‘Matariki hunga nui’ (Matariki brings us together). This new long weekend will allow people to travel to their hometown or around our regions, and spend time with their whānau.

“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,” Michael Wood said.

A stand-alone Bill to formally establish the Matariki public holiday will be introduced to Parliament later this year, and people will have the opportunity to provide their feedback during the select committee process.