Diversity adviser welcomes celebration of Matariki

More than 30 people gathered at Oamaru’s Lookout Point yesterday morning to learn about Matariki....
More than 30 people gathered at Oamaru’s Lookout Point yesterday morning to learn about Matariki. PHOTO: RUBY HEYWARD
It was a stellar time to come together.

At 7.15am yesterday, about 30 people braved the morning frost and gathered at Oamaru’s Lookout Point to observe Matariki.

Oamaru Public Library senior assistant and te kairuruku o nga ratonga Maori (Tikanga Maori co-ordinator) Lisa Potaka-Ross led a waiata before Waitaki District Council biodiversity adviser Gareth Boyt spoke about the celebration.

‘‘It’s awesome to see people interested and getting involved,’’ Mr Boyt said.

When he first moved to the Waitaki district a few years ago, there were very few public celebrations of Matariki.

This year, he was happy to see more popping up.

Matariki was a time of coming together, reflecting on the past year and looking forward, Mr Boyt said.

Its timeframe was guided by the moon. At its three-quarter phase, Matariki would follow the four days of Tangaroa, and an additional four days until the new moon.

How the stars shone during this time revealed different things about the year to come, he said.

Mr Boyt had been learning how to read the stars for about five years.

‘‘I’m just passing on information I’ve learned from other people, but that’s how the process works.’’

By figuring out what happened in the past, learning from elders, and exploring different sources, people could ‘‘redesign how we celebrate’’, he said.

In the south, Te Runanga o Moeraki and Ngai Tahu were leading the way in re-learning those aspects of Maori culture, he said.

ruby.heyward@odt.co.nz

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