Celebrate Matariki with Sylvia Park

Mānawatia a Matariki!

Our Matariki Installation

Whai is the inspiration for our Matariki installation this year. To celebrate Matariki and traditional Māori games we have connected the cluster and each of the nine stars to a whai figure. Panels featuring these are located in centre court, on the ground floor, near Glassons.

Learn How to Make Whai – Nau Mai, Haere Mai!

Make the Matariki whai pattern yourself! – suitable for people of all ages.

When?
Saturday, 21 June & Sunday, 22 June

What time?
11 AM - 2 PM

Where?
At the installation outside Lush & Glassons

Don't have time? Visit our Customer Service Desk to pick up your whai string and practice with the video below!

Mānawa maiea te putanga o Matariki
Mānawa maiea te ariki o te rangi
Mānawa maiea te Mātahi o te Tau.

Ko Matariki tētahi kāhui whetū e tohu ana ki te Māori i te tīmatanga o te tau hou. I ngā wā o mua, he wā e whakamihi ai ki te hunga kua mate, e tuku mihi ai ki ngā atua mō te hauhake, ā, e hākari tahi ai te whānau. E mōhio ana ngā iwi mō Matariki, heoi ki ētahi rohe ko te whetū tohu o te tau hou ko Puanga. Nō reira, ko tēnā rohe hei tōna ake wā, ko tēnā rohe ki tōna ake momo whakanui.

I ēnei rā, kua whakarauoratia te kaupapa i roto o Aotearoa whānui. E whāia tonutia ana ngā tikanga o ngā tūpuna mā ngā kaupapa matua o Matariki, arā, kia hoki ngā whakaaro ki a rātou mā kua riro, kia whakanui i te wātū, ā, kia rikarika hoki mō te tau hou.

I neherā, i te wā a Matariki e mahia ai ngā tini tākaro a te whare tapere kia whakanuia. Ko te whare tapere ka hua mai te mātauranga kōrero pūrākau, ngā waiata, ngā taonga pūoro me ngā tākaro. Ko tētahi tākaro e mahi ai ko te whai. Ko te tikanga o te tākaro whai kia hanga tauira te tangata ki te miro harakeke i ōna ringaringa. Ko tana ingoa tuturū ko ‘Te whai wawewawe o Māui’, e kōrerohia ana ki tana takenga mai nā te tipua rā a Māui, me tana kaha ki taua tākaro.

Celebrate the rising of Matariki
Celebrate the lord of the skies
Celebrate the new year.

Matariki is a star cluster that signified to Māori the start of the new year. Traditionally, it was a time to acknowledge the dead, to be thankful to the gods for the harvest and to feast with loved ones. Iwi across Aotearoa understand Matariki, however in some regions the star that signifies this time is Puanga. Therefore, regions celebrate Matariki at different times and in their own ways.

In recent times, the kaupapa has been revitalised throughout Aotearoa. We still follow the customs of the Māori ancestors by adhering to the main themes of Matariki, which are to remember those who have passed, celebrate the present and prepare for the coming year.

In days of old, during Matariki the many games of te whare tapere (the house of entertainment) were played. Te whare tapere held the knowledge of storytelling, songs, music and games. One game that was played was whai. In whai a person created patterns using a loop of flax string held between their hands. Its full name is ‘Te whai wawewawe o Māui’, referring to its creation by the demi-god Māui and his aptitude in that game.

Te Ara ki a Matariki – Find Matariki in the Night Sky

Ko ngā ingoa a runga o ngā pou ko tētahi kāhui whetū me ētahi whetū taiahoaho hei hāpai i tō rapu i a Matariki i te rangi pō. Āra:

• ko Tautoru
• ko Puanga
• ko Takurua
• ko Taumata-kuku.

Tuatahi rā, rapua ko Tautoru. E kitea ai a Puanga, titiro ki runga ake kia kitea te whetū taiahoaho – ko Puanga tērā. E kitea ai a Takurua, titiro ki raro iho, ki te matau kia kitea te whetū taiahoaho – ko Takurua tērā. E kitea ai a Matariki, titiro ki te mauī o Tautoru, rapua te whetū whero taiahoaho, a Taumata-kuku. Whāia tētahi rārangi pōhewa atu i a Tautoru, rere atu ki a Taumata-kuku, ka haere tonu ki tētahi kāhui whetū – ko Matariki tērā.

The names on top of the display panels in our installation are a constellation and some bright stars that can help you find Matariki in the night sky. These are:

• Tautoru (‘the pot’ or Orion’s belt)
• Puanga (Rigel)
• Takurua (Sirius)
• Taumata-kuku (Aldebaran).

First of all, find Tautoru. To find Puanga look above till you see the bright star – that is Puanga. To find Takurua look below and to the right till you see the bright star – that is Takurua. To find Matariki, look to the left of Tautoru, find the bright red star, Taumata-kuku. Follow an imaginary line through Tautoru and Taumata-kuku and keep on going to you hit a cluster of stars – that is Matariki.

Our 2025 Matariki artwork and installation is a collaboration with Māori owned design and advertising agency Run Aotearoa. https://www.runwithrun.com/