Had a hāngī lunch with over 100 whānau members.

At Toi Moana as part of our Leadership Day we learnt the kaikohau as a group. As individuals we wrote our professional ‘hope’ for the coming year on stars and shared it with our workmates.

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Mauri ora!

It’s about Te reo Maori and kaupapa korero I nga wa KATOA

We celebrated Matariki with friends and family over a potluck dinner.

MATARIKI. . Sharing waiata karakia & korero at Matai Whetu Marae, Thames

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THIS IS MY SONS CELEBRATION AT KOHANGA FOR MATARIKI WE HAD A BEAUTIFUL PERFORMANCE FROM OUR TAMARIKI AND A BEAUTIFUL KAI AFTERWARDS TO CELEBRATE MATARIKI AT KOHANGA

Our work office of 25 staff across social service and education teams, participated in a month long learning about Matariki. We broke into 3 teams, where each researched 3 stars each and presented their findings through fun activities, in each of the 3 weeks. Activities included, waiata challenge, crafts, cooking, self care, forward planning, reflections. . . We had Hākari in the 4th week with our whānau. Kai had to be drawn from what we harvested through that time. There is planning underway for 2022

hi today i will be talking to you about Matariki. Matariki is a tradition for Matariki . Matariki means To Māori, Matariki is both the name of the Pleiades star cluster and of the celebration of its first rising in late June or early July. This marked the beginning of the new year in the Māori lunar calendarraditionally, Matariki was used to determine the coming season's crop. A warmer season, and therefore a more productive crop yield, was indicated by how bright the stars were. Matariki provides an ideal opportunity to explore the ways that people pass on and sustain aspects of their culture and heritage Twinkling in the winter sky just before dawn, Matariki (the Pleiades) 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 celebraten Maori, Matariki means 'tiny eyes' or 'eyes of God'. The children of the earth mother Papatuanuku and sky father, Ranginui, were divided over whether to separate them and bring light and life to the earth. Eventually, Tane Mahuta, the god of the forest, laid on his back and used his feet to force them apart Matariki is a shortened version of Ngā mata o te ariki o Tāwhirimātea, or "the eyes of the god Tāwhirimātea". According to Māori mythology, Tāwhirimātea, god of wind and weather, was enraged by the separation of heaven and earth – his parents, Ranginui and PapatūānukuSome iwi speak of the seven Matariki stars as a mother and her daughters. The mother is Matariki, and her daughters are Tupu-ā-nuku, Tupu-ā-rangi, Waipunarangi, Waitī, Waitā, and Ururangi. Others have named nine stars, including Matariki. Matariki

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Te Takinga Marae Trust and Nga Marae o Mourea Women's Welfare League held a Matariki@Mourea Whanau day at our marae on Sunday 4 July 2021. It followed our iwi hautapu ceremony at 5am that morning. Around 200 whanau members turned up on a beautiful, sunny crisp winter's morning to learn about the stars [a planetarium on the marae], plant native trees, a maara kai and spring bulbs, enjoy sports and games, listen to a live band, and send messages of love on a diy waka to those loved ones who have passed. Of course, we had kai, free coffee for the parents and free ice cream for the kids. Best day ever! This was a new experience for our whanau who normally come to the marae for tangihanga. Next year, the whanau want to do it all again- only bigger and better!

Our students celebrated by eating together & playing traditional games which the tuakana taught their teina. There was a lot of laughter & fun had. Ngā mihi

Taku umu kohukohu whetū tuatahi i te taha o taku whānau, Tangaroa ā-mua o Pipiri, i tēnei tau tonu.

We shared a kaitahi with our kapa haka whānau to end term 2. We uses this kaitahi to celebrate Matariki but to also celebrate our hardwork raising over $27, 000. 00 in 5 weeks to get our kapa to Mana Kura Tahi in Whakatuu.

My co-teacher and I shared our Matariki moment by sharing kai in the morning before school with students and their whānau. The class sang a welcome song (Tena koutou, e hoa ma) and said the kaikōhau. It was a wonderful and treasured moment.

At the lighting of the beacons @ Otaki beach. Tumeke! Beautiful waiata, korero and company around the big bonfire on a calm starry night. . see photo! Thankyou to Maoriland organisers, and artists of the wonderful light sculptures at the beach, and everyone who enjoyed a very special night.

Matariki Kaitahi ki Te Wharepukapuka o Papaioea. We did a karakia and a waiata at our weekly staff hui but with a Matariki theme. I spoke about why this is so significant to Te Ao Māori and why we celebrate it. I finished this off with a quick fire Matariki All Star quiz with some prizes to get more staff engagement and then we did a karakia before our shared kai. A great turn out, amazing way for staff to learn about our culture and our hitori.

In my community I was lucky to be part of the Stratmore community luchtime comfort kai, I help cook several large pots of boil up, many hands make light of work and we even had fried bread with butter. We had a speaker who talk about the maramataka and share stories while we ate together. . . . . . then we all helped to clean up

#Matariki #kapahaka #whakangahau #whakawhanaungatanga. 😊

Kaore I tu atu I te kaitahi a te whanau #kaitahi #manwatia matariki #kaikohau

Sofitel Wellington hosted its first Kaitahi lunch on Friday July 30 invvolving a shared lunch with platters from our teams across every department including Housekeeping, Front Office, Admin, Sales, Engineering, F&B, Kitchen and Talent and Culture. The lunch opened with a reciting of the Kaikōhau, and then it was on ! ! ! . Our team come from many cultures including Vietnam, China, Chile, Philippines, Malaysia, Maori, Samoa, Tonga, English, Myanmar, Thailand and New Zealand ! ! ! .

We took our children to the Ahi Kā event on Wellington waterfront. We watched fire displays, listened to an astronomer teach about the Matariki cluster, saw beautiful light displays, ate some kai and (the kids' highlight! ) toasted marshmallows.

School Whanau preparing our Matariki Hangi. We shared the beautiful Kai from our Hangi with tamariki, staff, school whanau & community. A magnificent Kai and beautiful celebration added to by a tu meke performance by the school tamariki. 💕

We wanted to do something super special and different to having a big fat kai (which is our go to in regards to celebrating anything) so we got on a plane and flew to Auckland to watch Lion King and visit whānau we haven’t seen in ages. Love the whakawhanaungatanga during Matariki, he kitenga kanohi, he hokinga mahara ❤️❤️❤️

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The tamariki at Small Fries early childhood centre on Auckland's North Shore, celebrated Matariki this year by participating in various Maori cultural traditions and art activities. This included creating a hangi and visiting a Marae! Take a virtual walk through our Matariki wall displays. Claire

At our Early Learning Centre we came together with our tamariki and their whānau for Mānawatia a Matariki. We had a lovely time sharing some waiata, as well as some kai, dress, and music from our different traditions. Most importantly, it was a time to spend time together.

I'm a Home based ECE educator, the kids and I created these night time star/whare pictures. There were only meant to be 7 Stars, but the kids got a bit carried away.

We visited the Museum. Students had the chance to be inside the Marae. They really were inspired.

Our whare karakia celebrated Matariki with a share dinner and we write on stars first what we were grateful for over the past year and then what we are looking forward to for the coming year. This is th second year we have celebrated Matariki like this and each year we hope to do more. Lisa from Northland

We had a very exciting Matariki night celebrating with our tamariki at the school. The teachers put on a soup and night treasure hunt where the tamariki got to wear their pj's to school. We met in the hall for some matariki education, song dance, karakia, kai and then had a trasure hunt throughout the school with torches to find and make planets of the solar system. Was an excellent way to celebrate and learn more about the meaning of matariki.

We had our noho at the beginning of Matariki for our He pī ka pao course. It was an amazing weekend where we learnt about Matariki. The next morning we used our learnings and we're rewarded with seeing the Matariki clusters. Throughout the day we prepared our kai and spent the night performing skits.

A year ago you left us Mom 🖤 During the year you have been safely carried in Taramainuku's net. During Māori New Year with the rising of Matariki, Taramainuku releases your soul into the sky to become a star. I will look for you during Matariki each year. Kua wheturangihia whaea 💖

Nga mihi nui. Fortunate to be learning te reo Maaori with TWOA. One class was dedicated to Matariki and learning the separate stars and their meaning and importance to Maori. Truly amazing korero. Ka rawe! ! Naa Walker

Nau mai ngā hua Nau mai ngā pai Nau mai kia nui Kia hāwere ai Mauri ora!

A delicious Matariki dinner with friends at Field & Green in Wellington and the added pleasure of meeting Johanna Knox, author of The Forager’s Treasury. Mānawatia a Matariki!

Every step counts. Reintroducing rongoa Māori back into our papakainga. Sharing the knowledge and appreciation with my whanau. Reminding them to reground themselves with the matauranga o te Tai Ao. Ko Hiwa-i-te-rangi tana ingoa.

Our Kaimahi performed a waiata about Matariki to our colleagues and handed out the Kupu for those who wished to sing along. Ka Mau Te Wehi 🙌

Me and my babies who are the most recent descendants of Te kanawa ma enjoyed looking at the clusters of stars in the sky, it was a magical moment for myself and my partner.

Haere atu Te Waka o Rangi, Hoki mai Taramainuku Whiua atu ngā tupuna Kua wheturangihia Piataata mai ana Ngā tohu o te tau hou Māori Mānawatia a Matariki❤️✨

At our Kuranda the Whanau came out at 6. 30 in the morning to gather/ stand and share at Island Bay beach to view Matariki. We had a share Karakia, a guest speaker who gave a talk about the stars, early navigation and about Matariki practices and we had some time to reflect on the year gone by and to set a Whanau goal for this next year. It was a gathering of over 100 people and shows the community getting together. Then we had shared breakfast at school. Where about 200 came for a Matariki shared breakfast/ Parakuihi.

At the time of Matariki this year our Neice had her Moko Kauae completed. We celebrated with a whanau shared kai.

I woke up at dawn in Pōrangahau to see te whānau o Matariki fade away from sight into te ao Mārama. My māmā and I shot arrows of karanga up to the stars, the mārama, Rangi and down to Tangaroa. Tāwhirimātea nipped at my cheeks and hands but it was a beautiful way to honour Matariki and bring in the new year with intention and gratitude. Mānawatia a Matariki!

Me and a whole bunch of friends celebrated my friend's birthday and Matariki with a big Kai and fire, we stay till late to see the stars

I made Matariki packs for my kids classes. Miss 7 and Master 5 were so proud to share with their friends.

Malo e Lelei. Matariki is a wonderful occasion. What a wonderful time to celebrate Matariki ( mataiiki ) reappearing 'i he 'ao he po'uli. This a time of celebration & reflection. 'Ofa atu

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Had an amazing weekend spent with some beautiful people at a noho for our Te Ara Reo class - Hiwa-I-Te-Rangi. Learning about Matariki and some waiata. Everyone contributing to the kai hakari…. mmmm yummy hangi…. tino reka 🙌 Very thankful to our Kaiako Mere Whiu as she took on extra classes and still had fun! ! Amazing wahine💕 Nahau te rourou Naku te rourou Ka ora ai te manuhiri With your basket of knowledge and my basket of knowledge the people will prosper. Kia maiea tō rā Anne-Marie

Our kura had a Matariki Evening where we shared learning with our whanau and shared kai together. Along with new waiata we had also learnt the Kaikohau which we shared with our families. We shared Matariki wishes and hopes for the new year. It was a lovely evening.

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A song that I was taught at Te Wananga o Aotearoa a few years ago. Arranged for choir, sung by me & my hoa rangatira Bill, and then Bill made a video to go with it! Sharing with our choir mates, friends & whānau on YouTube. Nā Carol Shortis

We celebrated Matariki with some dear friends this year. Our twin sons were born during Matariki 2020 so we didn’t have much energy to celebrate last year. Our friends decorated their whare with beautiful blue and purple fairy lights which hung down from the ceiling like stars. Our babies loved being held up and being amongst the lights. We shared kai and said a karakia before we ate. During the meal we shared reflections on the year that had past and our hopes for the year to come. It was a memorable and beautiful evening celebrating together.

We at Royal Oak Intermediate enjoyed a kaitahi to celebrate Matariki 2021. Our shared kai was from various cultures including: Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Egypt, Japan, China, Iraq amongst others.

View Road School's annual Matariki Hangi, put down in the week hours and supported by our awesome whanau. Mums and aunties in the kitchen on the day before prepping and bundling. Overnight our tane and kids come to light the fire and place the food in the ground. Hard mahi results in deleicious shared kai to celebrate Matariki.

As an organisation we and our tamariki/whanau members worked alongside Conservation Volunteers NZ to look after Papatuanuku with a Matariki tree planting day, together we planted nearly 2, 700 native trees. By planting these trees, we are contributing to an ongoing restoration project in collaboration with Conservation Volunteer's New Zealand and the Porirua City Council. The goal of this site is to improve the quality of the Pauatahanui Inlet and surrounding waterways. This will also create a habitat to help indigenous plants, insects, and birds thrive.

Matariki extravaganza. . TKOTP

Mauri Ora Matariki Celebrations. Here is a small collage of our early morning hautapu at our kura with both Kaiako and Tauira. Was a fabulous experience to share with the wider school this year. Karamu High School Friday 2nd July Nāku Noa Kōkā Sharlena Maui

Tēnā koutou katoa Ko Te Tari a Te Kaumira te maukā Ko Waihao te awa Ko te Kura Mātauraka o Te Waimatemate tēnei E mihi ana ki a koutou katoa Our contribution to Matariki was our performance at the Waimate Kāhui ako Matariki Festival. Our awesome students answered the karanga o te tautoko and came together to whakamana the festival in our local takiwā. We are super proud of our students to chose to stand and mark this occasion. He waka eke noa Ngāi Tātou o te kura nei. Nā Marie Donaldson (kaiako)

To celebrate Matariki we did a hikoi up our local maunga for karakia and waiata at dawn and then we returned to kura for parakuihi. We lit candles to remember the people who had passed, to think about the year that was, what we are grateful for and our aspirations for the new year ahead.

Our class talked about Matariki and coloured stars to show the Matariki cluster on our wall. We talked about how what we like to do during Matariki. We listened and sang to music while we coloured.

Kia ora, My Matariki moment was filled with pride and peacefulness as I attended our kura Matariki Celebration the last week of Term 2. The school staff invite the whole community to walk up to our maunga, we sang waiata, heard korero from Kaukauna, kaiako and tamariki about the importance of Matariki on a personal level as well as a community and national level. This was our 6th or 7th celebration as we returned down the maunga to the hall to share breakfast together with more performances and waiata before our school day began. So proud if our kaupapa around Matariki at our kura! ! Proud, proud kaiako! Kia ora

Im only new to this knowledge so this year for Matariki, I can only celebrate the planting of that seed of knowledge. This year it begins for me, so I can only be thankful and hopeful that from this point forward, that, that seed of knowledge of Matariki that has been planted in me will grow into a massive fruit of more knowledge and understanding.

Matariki, thinking of our dear departed grandmother and sharing kai with the Whānau/Aiga.

Our Matariki moment. Rūma Pīwakawaka at Hornby Primary School in Christchurch celebrated Matariki in a variety of ways. After learning about the meaning of Matariki, they learnt a whakataukī, created acrostic poems, and wrote down some of their hopes and wishes for Matariki this year. Here is a pikitia of some of their mahi that is now up on the wall.

We sewed and hung 9 Matariki stars across our church. They floated above us

One of many special moments for Matariki was our tamariki at Daycare making Korowai together. They were so engaged and love to learn about Matariki. Definitely a sign of unity in this moment.

This is Hirani Maaka, who hosted Matariki celebrations at the RSA in Takapau in Tamatea- Central Hawke's Bay

A beautiful kai with our kura and whānau, such a great turn out - 130 students, 60 whānau members, 10 staff. Everyone pitching in to have a hot kai on a makariri morning. Ataahua!

Shared my rā whakangahau moments with my friends nō Te Whare Reo o Tukarere

Matariki this year felt really enriching and empowering. Every day and weekend, I nourished myself and what I needed change in my life. I connected with my Aho Matua, journaled, allowed myself to cry and breath, I laughed, I ate good foods, I actually relaxed for this first time all year and I tapped into the mana of my tipuna wahine. Over this time, it had been 13 years since my Great-Grandmother passed and nahana awau I whakatipu I te wa I pepe awau, therefore, many things I did were envolped the ahuatanga she gave me, but towards myself and growing a deeper more loving relationship with myself. One of the things I remembered growing up which served me during this Matariki period was her saying "Ki te kore koe e whakahawea atu, e whakapara atu koe ki nga tangata e kaha aroha ana koe, he aha e korero pera ai ki koe ake?" (If you wouldn't say it to someone you love, why would you say it to yourself?) To this day, she still remains my poutokomanawa, taku kuini, taku mareikura mai te toi o nga rangi. Nearly every day or anytime the shadow work got a bit much, I would remember these affirmations she would say to me Matariki which guide me to the light. I hope you don't mind if I share them with you too hei taonga, in hopes that you too can find solace and love in them also. " He kaha koe, He whaitake koe mo ake, E arohaina ana koe e ahau e hine, Ko koe te mana me te mauri o te aroha " I share this with you all, to encourage and liberate the voice of Matariki, that we look deeper into ourselves. And yes, although we, a Ngai Maori, breathe a life of togetherness, community and wholesome selflessness, I plead that in the midst of that, you do not forget about yourself too - However Matariki may look to you, that you do not forget about sustainable platform for yourself, just like Hiwa I Te Rangi.

Kaitahi at work 🙌🏼 Hangi, raw fish, steam pudding and custard followed by games and waiata ❤️

Workplace had a kaitahi to celebrate puanga here in Taranaki. Set the fire under the glowing of the moon and the stars, then hangi for kaitahi, games and finished off with a waiata session.

At a Matariki themed work gala dinner 🌟

Sharing my culture and Kai with my learners.

For Matariki we celebrated by having a massive whānau dinner in Tauranga Moana with our tamariki & mokopuna . We shared our hopes , dreams & aspirations for Te tau Hōu Māori .

Our school held its first Matariki whānau night, we had kai, enjoyed waiata, went on a whetu hunt, celebrated art, with our own little lanterns.

A one time moment to see four generations together. My wife, my mother-in-law, my daughter and my grand-daughter. Nga mihi aroha.

Robert McDonald a man all about Matariki and all the customs that derive within te āo māori. He established his own mātai whetu, unfortunate for us in Waimārama he was scoped up this year jst before the appearance of Matariki, by Taramainuku and we left to uphold his teachings. Twas a cold brisk cloudy morning, and stars were not visible on Hakikino(Waimārama Māori tourist site)-uncle Roberts pride and joy. Whānau gathered at the Mātai whetu regaurdless, knowing that it would be dark cold and cloudy, but we still went because of our beloved uncle Robert(& knowing we have our own Mātai whetu). Cold and gloomy we recited our karakia, performed our Matariki moteatea and Hakikino Haka. During our waiata the cold sea breeze and chills came to a halt, almost like the morning had become absolut still. We knew our uncle Robert was present ā wairua. Surrounded by braziers aflame sharing the warmth of the fires, our kuia wrapped up in kuikui blankets told us that our uncle was now at one with Matariki. Karanga, karakia and chats drifted into the skies to celebrate the māori new year, when all chants were completed whānau slowly went back to their vehicles and returned back to the top house(uncle Roberts home) that is like a small museum. There we celebrated with a Matariki parakuihi celebration. All the whānau that gathered up at Hakakino Mātai whetu greeted each other again up at the top house, as if they didn't just return from the same place. Karakia was chanted once again to welcome the tau hou Māori and karakia for the beautiful spread of kai that was had by whānau, friends and members of the Waimārama community in celebration of Matariki and the teachings handed down to us by uncle Robert and every Matariki we will return to your Mātai whetu and celebrate Matariki and what you have instilled in us for generations to come uncle. Ko te aunga o te moe ki a koe uncle. Matariki whanaunga kore, kua tō ki tōna rua! Te whakamoenga o te tau! Te whakamoenga o te mate! Kua kata te pō, kua tangi te ao. Ka horo ngā tāpuhipuhi tiketike, Haruru kau ana ngā papa, Kua pō a Waimārama! Te mana o ngā tīpuna, kua riro rā! Ka tangi ko ngā mōrehu! Auē, e hika e, te mamae ē! Nāku iti nei, e kore mātou e wareware.

"Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi! With your food basket and my food basket, together the people will thrive" This saying talks about community, to collaboration and a strengths-based approach. It acknowledges that everybody has something to offer and by working together we can all flourish. On Friday 2nd July 2021, this goal was achieved when the Lyttelton Port Company (LPC) had its first hangi to celebrate Matariki whereby we catered for 630 staff and the overall feedback has been tremendous. There was plenty of kai and no doubt it will be a regular feature for years to come. Big thanks to everyone that helped on the day and especially to all the LPC staff who shared in the fellowship of eating together to celebrate Matariki. Heoi anō Tahu

Centennial Park School-Te Kura Rautau held a Matariki kaitahi at the marae before the holidays. The classes performed items in the wharenui and this was followed up with kapa haka in the wharekai. During the holidays our cleaner/kaiawhina/Breakfast Club coordinator/ringa raupo passed away. We held a karakia and remembrance time when our students returned to school. We spoke about, listened to and wrote about the contributions of 'nanny' Tui to our kura. We have a remembrance corner near the school office where we can contemplate and/or write about our treasured nanny. Remembering nanny Tui Peters. Okioki raa koe e te tino taaonga o Te Kura Rautau!

As a Matariki Celebration Activation in AKL CBD weekend markets. I facilitated an activity, making putiputi from harakeke. Firstly, demonstrating Tikanga followed by karakia. These three lovely ladies (from out of town) came along to enjoy the morning markets and spent time making putiputi. Here you can see us having a good time laughing and enjoying each others company. The day was a huge success and a my contribution to this kaupapa all that we created, we donated them to the community centre.

Lighting the Beacons festival at Paraparaumu Beach, great event with lots of people of all ages.

Waiting for the fireworks on Pito-One beach with the kids! They've been learning about Matariki at school so I took the time to share what I know about Tāwhirimātea and Ngā Whetū o Matariki.

My daughter's preschool friends (Under 2) all brought in a veggie to make a collaborative veggie soup for all the whānau to enjoy while the Tamariki sung Tirama Ngā Whetu and then read "Tawhirimatea". I can't share the photos due to other Tamariki being in them. But it was BEAUTIFUL.

My class of students made a collaborative Matariki poster using what the students decided were Matariki colours - blues and yellows for the sky and the stars. We also included Matariki in our maths lessons by making stars out of parabolic curves! Then we went a step further and created 3D globes all brightly coloured for Matariki. We even went out and flew kites on our school field and enjoyed getting out into nature and enjoying the sunshine.

I harvested my yacon that I grew for one year. It took me 5 hours to dig all the yacon tubers out. After that, I re planted the rhizomes for next year. It was a very good harvest. -Aliah Jan

We hosted 2 rad Matariki events at Whammy Bar in Karangahape Road featuring rock'n'roll bands with strong Māori whakapapa. Had a mean as lunch at Open café thanks to Whakamanatia Crew for all the bands to whanaungatanga on the Sunday following the Upper Hutt Posse headlined event. It was mean. Blessing and welcome to start shows and heaps of bands started with their pipiha!

Waiheke Island Matariki performance day across all the learning institutes on the island. Siblings celebrating

Each of our teams was given a star to learn about and make decorate. We had Tupuanuku, the star for cultivated food. We had posters showing the significance of this star. We also displayed kumara and riwai in kete. With the whakatauaki “Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi. We also created a Pataka with kumara, riwai, squash and a gourd.

Whanau break with my most favourite little being, my first and only mokopuna for now!

Staff in our office were organised into seven groups - each ropu were assigned one of the whetu, the purpose was for them to research that whetu and report back to the wider staff group. We put up a blank sheet and when they had presented to staff they had to place their whetu in the appropriate position so that the constellation would eventually be revealed, extra points were awarded to those groups who also included Pohutukawa and Hiwa i te Rangi in their korero. We finished the week with shared kai with an international theme, staff from different countries were encouraged to bring a dish from their country of origin - for example we had kai from Zimbabwe, the Netherlands, Poland, England, NZ / Australia (fairy bread, cheerios), Scotland (shortbread with a colonial twist), England (fish and chips), Canada (donut holes), Canada with a Chinese twist). We also did Karakia and Waiata for the month with a focus on Matariki and changed our Karakia mo te Kai which references Tupu a Nuku me Tupu a Rangi.

Whanake mai ngā Mata o Te Ariki! Whanake mai ngā tohu o te tau! Whanake mai Matariki hunga nui! Friday 2nd July, Wharewaka Function Center, Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Fire and Emergency New Zealand as an organisation celebrated Matariki for the first time ever including taking part in Te Hautapu ritual to mark this special occasion for the organisation to demonstrate our commitment to include Te Ao Māori within the organisation. I was blessed to be a part of such an amazing event where Fire and Emergency personnel from operational volunteers, operational paid staff as well as executive officers and staff (including Chief Executive of FENZ Rhys Jones) from around the country gathered together in Wellington to celebrate Matariki! We acknowledged all of the stars and delivered karakia from representatives from the different regions embracing all of their specific acknowledgments/karakia (Pūanga, Matariki) as well as reading out the names of our fellow firefighters (support members, operational and executive officers) who had passed between Matariki of last year to date. Definitely proud to be a part of an amazing organisation that sees the benefit of working collaboratively and embracing some of the Tikanga and Kawa of Te Ao Māori and our different respective Māori communities from around the country. Matariki atua ka eke ki runga Nau mai ngā hua Nau mai ngā taonga Nau mai te Mātahi o te tau. Tūturu whakamaua kia tīna! Tīna! Haumi e. Hui e Taiki e!

This year was our first year understanding matariki . . . . so my friend , our beautiful kuia headed to mount macedon on a foggy frosty 4am morning here in melbourne australia The stars away from the city lights were magical we pulled over to a clearing where we could see matariki in awe we laid out kai from waiti, waita, tupuanuku tupuarangi on our gas burner . . and tears rolled as the steam from our kai rose into the night sky . . . . . as the karanga from our kuia finished and we began to pack up we had a kangaroo come right up too us . . . . a tohu indeed what an experience to share in whanau my wairua was replenished . . . . . nga mihi matariki . . . . . . . we took pics but this 1 taken by my friend sheryl kake has 3 shooting stars for the 3 of us xoxox

A magic Matariki moment for me, she visited to dried her wings whilst it rained outside.

Te Kura Takiwa O Manganuiowae had a wonderful "Matariki" celebration performance by our Y1-8 students followed by a hangi lunch for all our kura and whanau. Tino reka te kai!

We leant to weave starts, I then taught my colleagues as a work celebration and then my daughter. So cool. .

I haere mātou ki Lumberjack mini golf ki Motion Entertainment tākaro ai, ā whai muri i tena i haere mātou ki te hākari ō tā mātou whanau!

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I really wanted to celebrate MATARIKI so I decorated my kitchen made had a homemade feast.

Te whanau a Kaiaio te hapu. Te whanau a Apanui te Iwi. Maungaroa te maunga. Maungaroa te marae. Ko Keepa Ko Kemara nga whanau. Ko Roimata Minhinnick ahau. My daughter, sisters and myself celebrated Matariki recieving our moko kauae, our hoa matenga, on our marae Maungaroa, in our tipuna whare Kaiaio. Mauri ora ki a Matariki.

Learning how to weave puti puti at my daughters kura

My Matakiri star to honour my wife and Maori heritage

Our Whanau student Leaders and dads helping prepare our Matariki school hangi at Waiuku Primary School

This year I celebrated by making this manu tukutuku. I have never made one before, was nice to cut raupo and toetoe and follow a YouTube clip to learn how to thatch it all together. I enjoyed spending time listening to Dr Rangi Matamua and practised saying Mānawatia a Matariki whenever I could. I spent time collecting native seed and planting trees in community projects. So good to connect to the land through arts and planting and learn more matauranga maori.

My earlier picture so posted may not have come out to well but I was not disappointed when I got up to view the cluster! ! ! Perfect morning, clear sky, best I’ve ever seen! !